Our Hands Against Our Hearts
by LadySlytherinII
Summary: Captain Killian Jones and Princess Emma Swan have been at odds with each other since the day they met. As their own relationship blooms, Red Riding Hood and Belle devise a plan to trick the two into falling in love. But while they're carrying out their plan, someone else has a different agenda– to split up Red and Belle by any means necessary. Much Ado About Nothing AU.
1. Act I

**Author Notes: This story follows the basic plot of Shakespeare's iconic Much Ado About Nothing. However, it will deviate at times, and you can definitely enjoy it without having read the original play. I've had to restructure the timeline a bit for it to make sense, the largest changes being that the Dark Curse was never cast and that Rumpelstiltskin does not exist in this story. Any other changes will be made clear pretty quickly. The title of this story comes from a line from the final scene of the original play.**

 **Special thanks to Castle-Dancer1212 for encouraging me to write this, as well as being such a speedy beta!**

The sun was setting in the Enchanted Forest, and for the first time in months, Red didn't feel like someone was clawing at her from the inside. The woods glowed with the last bit of daylight, and the pine needles underfoot released a heavenly aroma with every step.

Red sighed, content at last.

"What are you thinking about, lass?" Killian asked. They'd been walking in comfortable silence all day, but he seemed to take her sigh as a cue to speak.

Red looked at him and smiled. "Home." The word tasted sweet in her mouth. After months of battling ogres, she was really going home. The wolf would go back to being a refuge rather than a weapon.

"You fought valiantly."

"Mulan's better. I can barely carry a sword. I'm only useful one night a month." Red could see Mulan, leading the group in the march home. Red had started out that morning in the front, but at this point she was near the back of the group. She'd never felt the need to be the first to arrive, even to somewhere she wanted to be.

"This is hardly the time for modesty, mate. Boasting is permissible after a job well done. Have you ever heard of a pirate who failed to claim credit for his victories?" Killian said.

"I haven't," Red admitted. "So, _mate,_ when does the dreaded Captain Hook return to rule over the seas?"

"Not until after the festivities are over, I expect. I'm eager to get back to my ship, of course, but there are customs and niceties that must be upheld if I'm to retain the allies I've made these past four months."

"Four months," Red repeated. Was that really all it had been? Victory over the ogres in just four months. It wouldn't have seemed possible, although to be fair, they'd had help from several unlikely allies. And now, finally, they were going home. Home to at least a month of festivities. Home to her grandmother, to Emma and Lily and Marian.

 _And to Belle_ , whispered a traitorous voice in her head. Red shushed it and focused instead on moving her body forward. They'd have to stop to rest soon, but they expected to be home within the next few days.

Behind her, Red could hear Snow White's attempts to draw Regina into conversation. The Evil Queen had been banished years ago after numerous attempts to ruin Snow's happy ending. Still, her offer to help in the Ogre War and their subsequent victory had been enough for Snow to give her a second chance, inviting her to the palace for the duration of the festivities. Red had been concerned about this until she heard Snow talking to the Blue Fairy about removing Regina's magic for the foreseeable future. Even with that knowledge, Red didn't feel nearly as sure about the whole "second chance" thing as Snow seemed to.

"Don't worry about her," Killian said, noticing Red's glance backward.

"Can't help it," Red admitted. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Perhaps a distraction is in order? I could tell you a tale, I've thousands of them."

Red looked at him thoughtfully. "All right. Tell me how you got the hook. I've heard at least half a dozen rumors about it, and none of them seem remotely true."

Killian paused. After a moment, he said, "I suppose after everything we've been through together, you've earned my trust."

"Damn right, I have."

Killian lowered his voice and leaned in slightly. "Very well." He paused, then began his tale. "I was a young lad, lieutenant on my brother's ship. We were in the royal navy in a nearby kingdom, see, until we were sent on a mission of rather—unsavory nature."

"Unsavory?" Red laughed. "I don't see what the kingdom could have done that was more unsavory than piracy."

"They had asked us to collect a plant that could have been used as a weapon of mass warfare," Killian said starkly. Red's laughter quickly subsided. "My brother was killed on the mission. In my anger I stole the ship we'd been given rule over and defected from the kingdom. I would rather be a pirate with my own code than serve those who have none. As it turned out, the King didn't much care that I no longer aligned myself with him, but he cared a great deal about his _ship_." Killian's face showed no expression, but his tone was bitter.

"They came after you," Red said, beginning to understand. "To get it back?"

"Aye, they did. The king lost many soldiers, and I lost one of my hands."

"And did they take back the boat?"

Killian grinned, seriousness vanishing in favor of something entirely more mischievous. "Not yet, they haven't."

Red smiled. "So that's the story of the infamous Captain Hook?"

"Did it disappoint, love?"

"It could have used a little more pizazz. A forbidden romance, maybe," Red teased. "Actually that'd be pretty good. You should add something about stealing someone's wife. Everyone loves star-crossed lovers."

Killian laughed out loud at that.

"What? Is the idea of falling in love with someone you're not supposed to have so ridiculous?" Red demanded.

"The idea of love in any form is ridiculous, but falling in love with someone you can't have is a form of masochism that even I wouldn't enjoy."

Red forced the image of Belle from her mind as firmly as possible. "You know, I have to agree with you." When the picture wouldn't leave entirely, she added, "Let's make a pact to never fall in love."

Killian laughed. "Bold words from a young lady."

"No, I mean it. You're right, love is masochistic. I don't see any good use for it."

Killian looked at her thoughtfully. After a moment, he grinned. "I'll drink to that." He offered her his flask of rum.

Red took it and drank, hoping that the burn in her throat would serve as a reminder not to wish for things she couldn't have.

* * *

 _Emma was trapped in a room with no doors, only a window. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think as she ran towards it, yanking with all her might in her attempts to get air into the room, but it wouldn't budge. The room was getting smaller. The air was running out. Emma tried to scream, but she couldn't get enough breath to her lungs to make a sound. The walls continued to close in on her._

 _Through the window she could see a storm on the ocean. The walls shrunk further, and the window disappeared._

Bright light hit her face, and Emma blearily opened her eyes. _Marian must have opened the curtains_ , she thought, both irritated at being awakened and relieved to be done with that horrible dream. She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

There was a loud knock on her door. "Emma, you're needed in the council room."

She groaned and slowly sat up. "Do I have to?" she asked squinting at the intruder, who turned out to be her father, looking far too awake.

Charming looked aggravated. "Are we really going to have this conversation again? You know, you'll have to attend meetings when you're queen."

"Who says I'll have meetings this early?" Emma asked. _Or at all_ , she thought. At another look from her father, she sighed and rolled out of bed.

"I'll see you in the council room in ten minutes," Charming said, then left.

With the help of her lady-in-waiting Marian, Emma was dressed, coiffed, and in the council room only two minutes over the instructed ten. "You're late," her dad told her when she walked in, but he was smiling, and there was a cup of coffee at Emma's seat. (Although technically there was no assigned seats. The point of the round table was to make everyone more or less equal, but mostly people sat in the same spot every time.)

"Thanks for the coffee," she said, sitting down and taking a large gulp. "What's up with the early meeting?"

If he was annoyed at her poor manners, Charming managed to hide it. "Happy just got a mirror message from Regina updating us on their progress."

"Wait, so this is just a freaking progress report? You couldn't have handled this one on your own?" A bit of coffee sloshed over the edge of Emma's cup and onto the saucer as she set it down. A drop landed on the table, and Emma quickly wiped it up with her sleeve.

"Emma, you're twenty-three years old. It's far past time for you to learn how to be an effective ruler, and that means going to meetings. Even if they are 'just a freaking progress report.'"

Emma was in the process of formulating her witty response when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Charming said.

Happy entered, grin stretching from his chin to his reddish nose. "Good morning, your majesties. I have good news to report! The Evil—that is, Lady Regina—said that the troops expect to be back by midmorning. Isn't that wonderful!"

"Casualties?"

"Minimal, and none from our kingdom," Happy replied.

Charming nodded. "This is very good news indeed."

Emma wondered how her father could be all business right now, when she knew he was as excited to see her mother as she was. She couldn't keep herself from smiling at the news, although she tried to keep her expression in check so as to appear serious. In just a few hours, she'd get to see her mom, and Red, and…

"Excuse me," Emma interrupted, unable to help herself. "But is the _valiant_ Captain Hook still travelling with them?"

"Captain Hook?" Happy asked, a flash of confusion running across his face but leaving instantly. "Yes, he's still with them, and doing well, I understand."

"And did he prove worthy of the moniker? Or should we all start calling him Captain Runs-In-The-Face-of-Ogres?"

"Emma!" her father scolded, but his face looked resigned. "Well, Happy? How did Captain Jones fare?"

"He served very well!" Happy replied brightly. "He showed great bravery in the face of the ogres, your majesties."

"Well, if he can stomach the sight of himself in the mirror it's not a surprise he can handle the sight of ogres," Emma said. "He probably noticed the family resemblance."

"You find the sight of him displeasing?" Happy asked. He furrowed his brow as though trying to understand.

Emma smirked. "Of course; it's the only way to balance his ego. As long as I find him at least as revolting as he finds himself 'devilishly handsome,' we can reach some sort of tolerable average. Otherwise it's chaos."

"Ego not-withstanding, Jones is a good man," Charming interjected.

"Ego not-withstanding? I don't think so. If his ego wasn't standing, there'd be nothing left to support him." Emma backed up this comment with her very best disdainful look.

"Ignore her," her father said to Happy. Emma shot him a glare. "She and Jones have been at odds with each other ever since he came here offering assistance with the war. The Ogre War might finally be over, but the battle of wits between my daughter and the captain is as strong as it ever was."

"Who's he palling around with now?" Emma demanded, then mentally berated herself. What was she doing? The last thing she needed was for people to think she cared what Hook did. "I just mean— he was with Smee, before they left, but he stayed with The Jolly—Hook's ship. I was just wondering who he spends time with, outside the company of pirates"

"Regina didn't say—she's not one for chit-chat, is she? I love a bit of good chit-chat myself, it's so interesting to hear what's going on in other people's lives— but I could see behind her in the glass and I believe I saw Captain Jones—what was that delightful term you used?— 'palling around' with Red."

Emma groaned. "Red? Really?" _Wonder what Belle will think of that._

Belle was the daughter of of a nobleman name Sir Maurice. When her family had heard rumors that a war with the ogres was brewing, they'd sent her to live in the palace for safety. Before Belle had even arrived, however, the royal family had caught news that her parents had been killed by ogres. Since then, Snow and Charming had treated her as a second daughter. Before the war had started, she'd spent most of her time with Red in the kitchen.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful! Red, one of our kingdom's heroes, and Captain Jones, our latest ally, building a friendship!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Enough with the Captain Jones stuff, all right? His name is Hook. He's a pirate."

"Emma," her father warned.

"What? He is!"

"He aligned himself with our kingdom for the duration of the war, and in exchange we offered him leniency!" Charming said, using the voice he usually saved for arguing politics.

"Yeah, and you know that as soon as he gets tired of being landlocked he'll go right back to being a pirate on his freaking ship!" _Lucky bastard_ , Emma couldn't help but think.

Her dad took a few deep breaths before speaking. "Regardless of whether that is true, he's been one of our key allies these past few months. Now, if he returns to piracy we'll deal with it then, but in the meantime I think it's our duty to give him the benefit of the doubt, don't you?"

Emma was about to give some sort of retort when the door to the council room burst open and Belle came in, looking more flustered than Emma had ever seen her. Normally she looked every bit the princess, more so than Emma really, but at the moment her eyes were wide and her hair in complete disarray, as though she had left halfway through having it done.

"I'm sorry to just barge in like this, your majesties." Belle sounded breathless, as though she'd run all the way there.

"Belle, we're family," Emma's dad said. "You're welcome in the council room at any time."

Belle blushed, and Emma felt a pang of sympathy for her. "Thank you for that. You've all been so kind, and—oh! I almost forgot. They're here, your majesty. All of them, at the castle gate. Your wife Snow is at the front, with that pirate captain and Red."

"Well, then, I think we should go meet them," Charming said. He led the way out of the room, Emma trailing reluctantly behind him. They went through many winding corridors before getting to the castle's entrance. Emma knew where each of them led and how they connected, having spent her entire childhood exploring every nook and cranny of the castle. These days, she barely noticed them.

When they reached the castle grounds, Emma ran all the way to the gate to greet her mother with a hug. "You're back!"

"Of course I am," Snow said, returning the embrace. "You didn't think a few ogres would stop me, did you?" Still, she held on more firmly than she usually did, as though having to remind herself that she was really back with her daughter.

"Red!" Emma called when she'd let go of her mother. "Come on, give me a hug."

Red tore her eyes away from Belle and threw her arms around Emma.

Red had been a toddler when Snow White had come to her grandmother's cottage to hide while running from the Evil Queen. When Snow had regained her throne a year later, she'd given Widow Lucas a place on her advisory council. Red had been allowed to roam around the palace freely, and although she was a few years older than Emma, they had been practically inseparable growing up. They'd spent considerably less time together in the past few years, Red busy working in the palace kitchen while Emma reluctantly attended meetings and learned how to rule a kingdom. Even so, she'd missed Red more than she'd realized was possible when the Ogre War started, and she tried to put those feelings into her hug.

When they broke apart, Emma's dad made an announcement. "We'll hold a masquerade ball tonight!" he shouted. Several people cheered. "To celebrate the soldier's return. Spread the word."

Chattering excitedly, the crowd started to trickle into the castle, so Emma stepped off to the side, right into the path of the pirate himself. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, _Captain?_ I thought you'd have returned to your ship by now." She was unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. _Just go, get away from here,_ she mentally urged him. _You have a choice, dammit. Just go._

"Lady Swan," Hook said, bowing in an elaborate gesture that Emma was sure was intended to mock her. "Or should I say Lady Disdain?"

"Disdain only lives as long as it's fed," Emma shot back, proud of herself for her fast thinking. "It's a good thing you're back, it was beginning to wither away completely."

"You know," Hook said, stepping towards her slightly and speaking in a low voice. Emma forgot to breath for a moment. "I have it on good authority that you are the _only_ lady who thinks so little of me." Stepping back with a smirk, he added, "Sadly, my only love is the sea."

"And the women of Misthaven just breathed a collective sigh of relief," Emma replied. "Now they needn't to worry about having you as a suitor."

Hook laughed. "And what of your suitors? Or have you torn them all to ribbons with your cold heart?"

Emma felt as though she'd been slapped. I _t was the other way around, actually_ , she thought. But Hook didn't know about Neal, he couldn't. Unless Red had mentioned something…

"That's right," Emma said. "Watch out, or I'll make ribbons of you, too."

Hook raised his hands in mock surrender. "I seem to have overstepped my bounds. I'll leave you to it." He followed the crowd into the palace, leaving Emma drowning in her thoughts of Neal.

* * *

The last time Emma had seen him, it had been exactly one week before her eighteenth birthday. She and Neal had secluded themselves in an unused bedroom towards the back of the castle that Emma had discovered one day while wandering. They were lying on the bed together, Emma's head resting on Neal's chest while he stroked her hair.

"This might be the last time we get to steal away like this," Emma said after a while. "Next week they're going to start training me like I'm a horse or something." This was not the first time she'd made a comment like this, but Neal's reply shocked her.

"So don't let them. Run away with me."

"What?" Emma yanked her head off his chest to look at him. "Neal, we can't do that."

"Why not?" Neal took one of her hands. "You're sick of being a princess, I'm sick of being a farmhand. We both need a change, let's just go, let's get out of here. Come on Emma, let's _decide_ what we want to do instead of just doing what everyone expects of us."

Emma's pulse raced. She sat all the way up and looked around the musty room for a distraction. Everything Neal was saying was true. They could leave now, and Emma would never have to worry about perfecting her curtsy, or understanding foreign policy. But…

"My parents would never forgive me."

Neal actually snorted. "Snow White, the famous bandit, would refuse to forgive a daughter who she loves because she ran away from home? That'd be a little hypocritical, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, even if they'd forgive me, I'd still miss them," Emma said quietly.

Neal shrugged. "Then I guess you've got to make a choice. Is it really worth it to stay in a place that makes you miserable because you're scared you might miss someone?"

Emma took a few steadying breaths as she thought about this. She just needed time to think things through. She avoided looking Neal in the eye and instead stared at the bureau, which was brown and decrepit with age. After a little while, she asked, "But where would we go?"

"Well? Where would _you_ want to go?"

"I don't know." Suddenly remembering something, Emma jumped to her feet and began rifling through one of the desk drawers. "I looked through all of these once," she explained. "There's a map in here somewhere."

Neal sat up and gave her a lazy grin. "Great. We'll close our eyes and point to the map, and wherever our fingers land we have to go. Deal?"

"Deal. Unless it's the middle of the ocean," Emma said, unrolling the dusty old map out onto the bed. She sat down next to Neal to look at it. He took her hand in his, and together they closed their eyes and moved their conjoined hands across the map. When they opened their eyes, their fingers were pointed towards the middle of the forest.

"Oh, no," Emma laughed, covering her face with her hands.

"Hey, we had a deal," Neal said, grabbing one of her hands. "We have to move wherever we landed, no matter what."

"We can't live in the middle of the woods!"

"Why not? Lots of people manage to do it, it can't be that hard. You can shoot a bow and arrow, right?"

"And in the winter when there's no meat? We're going to do what, gather berries?"

"Maybe. Or maybe we can dry enough meat to get us through the winter. Steal, even, if we have to." Something in Neal's tone made Emma realize that he might actually intend to go through with this.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" she asked.

Neal nodded, then leaned over to kiss her forehead. Getting down on one knees next to the bed, he said, "Emma Swan, will you do me the honor of being my woodland princess?"

"Get up, you goon. Of course I will." She pulled Neal up and kissed him, hard. "On one condition."

"Anything."

"We have leave before my eighteenth birthday. I don't want to spend any more time than I have to preparing for a life I don't want."

"Your wish is my command."

The day before her birthday Emma went to his house at the agreed upon time only to find it cleared out. That same day, Marian reported that three silver vases, as well as a number of smaller pieces, had gone missing from the palace. She never saw Neal again.

* * *

They'd been hiking since sunrise to get back to the palace, so it was no surprise when Killian insisted on stopping in the kitchen. Red was more than happy to oblige, so now the pair was sitting on stools across a table from each other, Killian cracking open nuts with his hook.

"So," Red asked, trying to remain casual. "Did you happen to notice Belle? Emma's adoptive sister, the girl in the pretty dress?"

"The one with the hair all awry? I noticed her," Killian said absently. "What of it?"

"Well, you know that thing I said, about never wanting to fall in love?" Red asked nervously. Her hand shook as she took a nut from Killian's pile.

"I believe the exact word you used was 'pact,'" Killian said.

"Oh, shut up. What do you think of Belle?"

"Are you asking me as a pirate, or as a man who fought alongside you in war?"

"Either one."

Killian considered it for a moment. "To me, she seems fairly unremarkable. If it weren't for the sneer that constantly graces her lip, Princess Swan would exceed her in practically every way."

"Oh, forget it," Red said, laying her head down on the table. "She's never going to like me anyway. She's nobility, and I work in the kitchen."

Killian gently pushed her back up. "Are you serious about pursuing her? Enough to fight for her?"

"I think so," Red admitted. _I'm never going to hear the end of this,_ she thought.

Killian looked at her seriously. "You need to do more than just think so, lass. Those unwilling to fight for what they want deserve what they're left with."

"So you want me to go for it? What about our pact?"

"Oh, don't think I will refrain from mocking you about that," Killian said, breaking into a grin. "A pirate has to seek entertainment somewhere, does he not?"

At that moment, Mulan entered the room. "I'm starving. What are you talking about?" She dug around in the cupboards and came out with a peach, which she proceeded to bite into.

Killian glanced at Red slyly. "Lady Red was just talking about her desire for the Charming's adoptive daughter."

"Belle?" Mulan asked. Red nodded, wishing for nothing more than to sink into the ground. Mulan's next words surprised her. "We're friends. I could talk to her and see if she's interested."

"Are you sure?" Red asked. Her heart, which had been racing since the beginning of this conversation, seemed to double in speed. "I mean, you don't have to. It's not a big deal either way, really."

"It's no problem. I'll talk to her at the masquerade ball tonight if you want. Besides, I'm pretty sure she was looking at you, earlier."

Mulan spoke so matter-of-factly that it almost hurt. Red tried to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. What if Mulan was wrong? What was she willing to risk? She looked down at the table, feeling the grain of the wood with her fingers as she tried to think of what to say.

Killian appeared to tire of waiting for Red's response, and began scavenging the cupboards for something to eat. After a moment, he returned to the table triumphantly carrying half a pie.

Red stared at it mutely as she was sent reeling back to that first conversation with Belle.

* * *

It must have been Belle's second or third night in the palace when she stumbled into the kitchen close to midnight. Red had been taking inventory, but stopped when she heard the door open.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Belle said. "I didn't realized anyone was in here." There were tear tracks on her face, and Red felt a tug in her stomach.

She turned away. "It's all right. Do you want something to eat?"

Belle nodded shakily. "Only if you're not in the middle of something."

"Nothing that can't be put off until tomorrow," Red said. "What do you want to eat? There's fruit, and I think there might be some leftover pie tucked back here somewhere."

"Pie would be lovely." Belle was still standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"You know, there's no rule saying you aren't allowed to sit down," Red said, opening a cupboard and searching for the pie. She found it in a covered dish, two slices left. When she turned around to set in on the table, Belle had finally sat down on one of the tall stools at the table. Red sat down across from her and passed her one of the slices, keeping the other for herself.

Belle looked as though she might start crying again at any minute, but began to eat her pie. After a few bites of her own slice, Red put down her fork. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Belle looked down. "I don't know if I can."

 _It's her parents,_ Red realized, remembering a piece of gossip she had heard earlier that day. She felt a pang in her chest, and reached over to put her hand on top of Belle's. "Mine are dead too," she said quietly. She wasn't at all sure if this was the right thing to say, but it was all she had.

"Oh."

"I don't remember them, though," she said, stroking Belle's fingers with her thumb in what she hoped was a comforting manner. "They've been dead my whole life."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to be sorry," Red said. She could feel her heart pounding. "I'm not trying to make this about me. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me."

Finally, _finally_ , Belle looked up. Even though they were red and puffy from crying, her eyes still looked warm. "Thank you."

They looked at each other for a minute before Red quickly pulled her hand away and focused on her pie.

"I don't think I ever got your name," Belle said after a few minutes.

"Red."

Belle smiled. "Well, Red, since you seem to know my whole life story already, it seems like the honorable thing to do would be to tell me something about you." Belle's brown eyes twinkled slightly. Red was amazed that even after everything that had just happened to her, Belle could look this alive.

"You want me to say something about myself?" But what could she say? _I hate walnuts. I went to Arendelle with Emma's family once when I was younger. In three days it'll be Wolfstime and I'll transform into a beast that most of the kingdom despises._ She wondered if Belle even knew about the wolf, if she'd heard the rumors.

Ever since her adolescence, Wolfstime had been a source of both joy and fear for Red. Joy at the sensation of shedding her skin and giving in to the animal. Fear because she could see the same fear reflected in other people's eyes, hear it in the way they whispered when they thought she wasn't looking. As Wolfstime approached, she would invariably spend more time in the kitchen, away from prying eyes. It was a respite. Lonely, but safe. How much did Belle know? Had anyone told her?

"Well, I live with my Granny in a cottage just outside the palace walls. She's on the Queen's council," Red said, realizing she'd left Belle's question unanswered.

"If you live outside of the palace, what are you doing in here so late at night?"

"Inventory," Red explained. "A bunch of us who don't have much to do take turns cooking, and we have to keep track of what supplies to purchase."

"That must be difficult lately, what with the new trade embargo with Frostmeadow."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Well color me impressed. Emma barely cares enough to know what a trade embargo is, let alone who we have them with."

Belle blushed and set down her fork. "My parents always insisted that I keep up with politics."

"Yeah, but you like it, don't you?" Red said, almost teasingly. "Snow and Charming insist that Emma learn all of it, too, but you don't catch her talking politics outside the council room."

"I supposed I do," Belle admitted. "Here, hand me your plate and I can wash up. You should get back to your inventory."

Red hadn't even noticed that she'd finished her slice, but when she looked down she saw that she had. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She stood reluctantly, reeling at the abrupt end of the conversation. _Was it something I said?_ she wondered as she got back to work. Even worse was the fear that Belle had just realized that she was the wolf and was too disgusted to finish the conversation.

These concerns vanished when Belle, about to leave, turned back and said, "You know, I'm really glad I met you."

Red could only smile.

* * *

"Do you really think she likes me?" Red asked Mulan finally. She had to know, had to be truly sure before she was willing to risk everything falling apart.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

"Okay," Red said. "You can talk to her for me." _Belle's known about the wolf for months now_ , she reminded herself. _She's had every chance to run away if she's going to._

"Before long," Killian said, "They'll do away with battlefields entirely in favor of ballrooms, for the latter are much better suited for courting. You must be the fourth soldier from our fleet to fall in love since we started back."

"I suppose this sort of thing never happens on the high seas," Red teased, relieved that the attention was off her now.

"Not on my ship."

"Oh really? Not even in the celebration after a well-fought skirmish?"

"She has a point," Mulan said, looking at Killian. "People do often act on their feelings immediately after a dangerous situation. The fear of dying alone suddenly everything else."

"But shortly afterward, one realizes that the feelings one was so sure of in the heat of battle have faded now that the danger is gone," Killian replied easily. "Love is a fickle form of currency, easily bought and sold. I'll have none of it."

"You're sure, then, that you'll never fall in love?" Red asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

"Would you like me to get down on my knees and swear it? Or was the oath we made less than a week ago promise enough?" Killian went down on his knees in an overdramatic gesture. "Lady Red, I swear by the seven seas that I shall never fall in love, and if I do that you might take my remaining hand, for a man that crosses his heart with his left hand while breaking the promise with his right has no claim to either."

"Oh, get up," Red said, laughing.

Mulan's face was serious, but her eyes were playful as she said, "You can keep your hand, pirate, but I'd bet with a reasonable amount that before your month here is over you'll find yourself in love."

Killian returned to his chair, a smirk on his face. "A word of advice, love? Don't make wagers you don't expect to win."

* * *

Regina had been given a comfortable chamber on the ground floor of the palace, and she couldn't have hated it more if there were bars on the window. Sidney's room adjoined it, but of course he insisted on spending his time in hers. The room was clean and had a nice window, but the décor was absolutely Snow's. The curtains were made of lace, for God's sake. Even worse was the windows themselves. After years alone in a tower fortress, Regina had gotten used to having a view. All she could see out her windows here was a courtyard full of simpering nobles.

"This is outrageous," Regina said, pacing back and forth across the room. "The nerve of Snow White, acting like we're family! 'Oh, Regina, I'm so glad we were able to work out our differences.' 'Oh, Regina, I always knew you had some good in you.'"

"Your Majesty, you must calm down," Sidney said from his seated position on the side of the room. He was holding a book, but Regina noticed that he only seemed to be reading it when he didn't want to say anything. "Why do you always let Snow White get to you?"

"Why do I let her—you should have heard her, Sidney! All the talk about family this, forgiveness that. It made me want to rip her heart out!"

"Then why don't you?" Sidney asked, turning a page.

Regina turned on him. "Don't you think I would have if I were able to! You know as well as I do that they had the Blue Fairy place a spell on my so I can't do magic. Oh, you should have heard Snow White go _on_ about it. 'It's just a precaution, Regina, we don't distrust you, Regina, oh please Regina let's be friends!'" As soon as she'd finished speaking, she turned her back to Sidney once more. Regina preferred to face away from him whenever possible. It perpetuated the comforting illusion that he was still trapped in the mirror where he belonged. Just another way Snow White had interfered with her life.

 _"_ You're certainly in a mood today, Your Majesty," Sidney said mildly. If it had been anyone else saying it, Regina would have found a way to destroy them even without her magic. As it was she just glared.

"Well, why shouldn't I be?"

"Queen Snow _has_ granted you leniency for all of your crimes, that must count for something."

"Oh, please. You're just happy to be on this side of the glass for a change. I'm a prisoner, Sidney. God!" She clenched her fists. "For the first time in years I'm in a perfect position to ruin Snow White's happiness, and she's taken away my magic so I can't do it."

"Perhaps with no way to destroy your stepdaughter, you'll find your way back into her good graces."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'd rather rot for a century in Neverland than spend the next thirty days sucking up to the Charmings."

"What if I told you I knew of a way to make Snow White unhappy, without a lick of magic?" came a voice from the doorway.

Regina wheeled around. "Scarlet," she said, curling her lip at her sometimes-informant. "What do you have for me?"

Will entered the room fully and leaned against the wall opposite Sidney, carefully crossing his arms. "Only a chance to undo somebody else's happiness. You see, Little Red Riding Hood has fallen in love with the Lady Belle."

Regina wanted to sit down, but as long as Will was standing it would just make him feel like he had the upper hand. She stayed upright. "As disgusting as I find the details of the she-wolf's love life, I fail to see what this had to do with me."

"I'll give you a hint. What does Snow White believe in above all else?"

"True love," she replied, practically sinking her teeth into the words.

"Right in one. And how do you think Miss Snow will feel if true love falls apart? Especially between these particular young ladies of whom she is so fond."

Regina considered this. "If we're going after people's love lives, it'd be more satisfying to break up Snow and her pathetic husband."

Will raised a finger. "Satisfying, yes, but a little obvious, don't you think? Now Red Riding Hood and Belle, those two are just close enough to the Queen for her to care, but not so close that it's clear you've got a hand in it. It's bloody brilliant, if I do say so myself."

"And how _exactly_ were you planning on sabotaging this relationship?"

Will shook his head. "Mum's the word. You're staying out of that part, see. Plausible deniability and what-not."

"And what do you get out of it? I know you, Scarlet. You don't give something for nothing." Out of the corner of her eye, Regina could see Sidney still sitting in his chair pretending to read. She shifted so that he was no longer visible.

Will grinned, a gleam in his eye. "What do I get? Nothing you don't have to spare, Your Majesty."

"If it's magic you want, you should know that I no longer have it."

"No longer have your _own_ magic, you mean. Lucky for you, I'm not looking for your magic. I need safe passage to Wonderland."

"A magic bean," Regina said.

"Exactly."

"So if I promise one magic bean on delivery, you'll destroy Red Riding Hood and Belle's happiness, as well as my step-daughter's faith in true love?"

"Well I usually ask for half up front, but in this case I think it'd decrease the bean's usefulness. I'll settle for knowing that without your magic, you wouldn't be able to stop me from just taking the bean, if you won't let it go quietly."

Regina let her mind wander for a moment, let herself picture Snow White's tearstained face as everything fell apart for people she cared about. It wasn't perfect, but it was considerably better than the image she had now of happy, smiling Snow White who was convinced that she had redeemed the Evil Queen and that'd they'd be one big happy family.

She held out her hand to Will Scarlet. "We have a deal."

They shook.


	2. Act II

**AN: Big shout-out to my beta Castle-Dancer1212 for all of her help, but especially for helping me write Killian's POV without completely butchering it.**

That night before the ball, Snow asked Charming, Emma, Belle, and Mulan to talk to her in the council room. Emma was worried that something terrible had happened, but it turned out it was just Snow being Snow.

"I'm worried," she explained once they'd sat down around the table. She glanced to the door, most likely to make sure it hadn't magically opened in the past five seconds. "Regina hardly spoke at all during dinner. Do you think we're losing her again?"

Emma just barely refrained from rolling her eyes. She loved her mother, but sometimes her need to save everybody was a lot to deal with.

Charming put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "To be honest, I think Regina's going to sulk long and hard about not having her magic before she stops seeing us as the enemy. For the time being, there's nothing we can do."

Although Emma understood her parents' concerns about Regina based on their past encounters, so far she'd found Regina utterly unimpressive. Sure, she wore those awful outfits, but other than that there was nothing to suggest that she was up to anything evil. Hoping to diffuse some of the tension, Emma said, "You know what I think? I think that the perfect person would be a mix between Regina and Hook. She rarely ever talks, he can't seem to stop talking."

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed, clearly shocked.

Mulan, on the other hand, laughed. "Perfect? Maybe if you're into reformed criminals."

Emma could feel her cheeks burn. "That's not what I meant. I meant perfect objectively, not— perfect as in my true love or something. Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Emma…" Snow looked as though she were unsure if she should say what she was thinking. "You're twenty-three years old. _Do_ you think you'll ever find your true love?"

This was not where Emma had hoped for the conversation to lead. "Oh, sure," she said, joking tone covering the lump in her throat. She forced herself not to look down or fidget, but instead kept her voice lighthearted. "But not 'til I'm old and gray. He'll still be young and handsome, of course and I'll fall in love with him because he makes me forget about my aching bones."

"Doesn't sound very romantic," Belle said, dimple showing from trying not to smile. "I think he needs a bit more of a challenge to overcome."

"You're right," Emma said, shooting Belle a grateful look for helping her steer the conversation away from serious matters. "Okay, how about this. When I turn sixty, I'll lock myself in a tower and get a pet dragon to guard it. Does that set up enough of an obstacle?"

"Depends on the size of the dragon," Mulan replied.

"I think we're getting a little far away from the subject of Regina." Charming pointed out, looking amused. He turned back to Snow. "Honestly, I'm just as glad not to have to listen to her talk at meals, but you know her better than I do. Do you think there's a problem we should be concerned about?"

"Nothing concrete." Snow looked troubled.

"We could put a guard on her."

Snow shook her head quickly. "No, it'll just make her upset if she knows we don't trust her. I've known Regina for a long time, and she only ever drops her defenses if she thinks no one is watching. If we want her on our side for good, we have to let that happen."

"Okay, no guards. But who says we can't keep an eye on her ourselves?" Charming suggested, looking around at the small group. Emma nodded quickly, ready to be done with this whole thing.

"I guess that's the best we can do about it until we know more," Snow said. In the meantime, I think it's time for us to get ready for the masquerade."

They dispersed, Emma receiving a firm warning to be _on time for once_. Emma wanted to skip the whole thing, but she knew her absence would be noticed. She had hoped she'd be allowed to wear a costume that truly disguised her identity, but apparently that was a luxury that a princess was not afforded. It was like her parents didn't trust her to show up if she wasn't recognizable as herself, which was probably a smart move on their part.

In her room, Marian helped Emma into her outfit. A lot of really bad costume idea had been thrown around, including the vomit-worthy option of playing up the whole name thing and dressing as a swan. Fortunately, at the last minute Emma had stumbled across her mother's old bandit outfit, and her parents had decided that would be a lovely costume.

Marian accompanied her through the corridors and left her at the door of the ballroom. Emma stepped through the door and out onto a staircase, where she waited to be announced. Sleepy was the dwarf on duty, and his dozing gave Emma a chance to look around the room. Regina was notably absent, and while Emma was relieved by this she knew it make her mother even more worried than she already was.

She continued looking around to see what the others were wearing. Mulan, who was standing across the room, had unsurprisingly worn her armor. She was standing next to Belle, dressed as a phoenix, and a bit further off was Red, who seemed to be dressed as her grandmother in a costume that included a crossbow and a comical gray wig.

Emma had to pause in her observations at that point as her entrance was finally announced. "Presenting Princess Swan," Sleepy said, shaking himself awake. There was a polite round of applause before everyone returned to their respective conversations. Emma descended the stairs sat down on a marble bench on the very edge of the ballroom.

A man sat down next to her. Emma ignored him in favor of looking around some more. She'd expected to see Hook here, probably decked out in his usual pirate garb, but he was nowhere in sight.

After a moment, the man spoke. "Perchance might you be the Princess Swan?"

Emma craned her next, continuing to look around the room. "Yes." Lily, Belle's maid, was dancing with Will Scarlet. Emma only knew him by reputation, but that was as well as she needed to know him to know she disliked this turn of events. What was Lily doing with him?

"I thought so," the man next to her continued. "I'd request the honor of a dance, but I've been told you take pleasure in breaking the toes of your partner beneath your heel if they are too forward with you."

"What?" Emma demanded, looking at him for the first time. He was wearing all black with leather gloves and a troll mask that covered everything but his eyes. "Who told you _that?_

"I'm not aware of his name," the man said. "But he also said your wit was so dull it could put a dragon to sleep."

Emma was about to reply angrily when she noticed that one of the man's hands was unusually stiff. Leather often looked stiff, but this went beyond the usual level; the fingers didn't seem to be able to move at all. _Oh, he thinks he's so clever,_ she thought, a smile forming on her face. "It must have been Captain Hook who said that."

"I know none of that name," he replied quickly.

Emma feigned surprise and looked at her nails. "Is that so? Well, he's a rather foolish man. He doesn't know how to talk without spewing nonsense of some kind or other. He'd probably cut off his own hand if the thought it would make a good story. In fact, I think he may have already. Are you sure you've never met him?"

"Positive," he said, but she noticed that he couldn't quite keep annoyance from seeping into his voice.

Emma was about to leave and bask in her victory when she saw her mother looking pointedly at her. She sighed internally and turned back to the man she knew to be Captain Hook. "I believe you said something about a dance?" she said in her best aloof princess voice. She could see Hook's eyes gleaming through the mask, and she wondered how she could not have recognized him sooner. No one else had eyes like that.

"That I did. Shall we?" He extended his arm.

Emma took it and followed him onto the dance floor. Hook's false hand went to her waist, his good hand taking a hold of hers. Her fingers tingled. She tried to keep a safe distance between them, but her body betrayed her, moving closer the minute she stopped thinking about staying away.

"Relax," Hook said into her ear. "Dancing's supposed to be fun."

It irked her, that he hadn't called her "love" as he usually did. It was clearly part of hiding his identity, but it left an empty gap in his words. "Only if you have the right partner," Emma shot back.

"Oh, trust me," he said. His breath tickled her ear on every word. "You do."

Where had _that_ come from? Emma couldn't think of an answer, especially without admitting that she knew who he was, but she couldn't let a comment like that slide, either.

Her heart rate picked up as she let herself lean into him slightly. _Two can play this game,_ she thought. All at once, she let go of him and pulled away. "Only time will tell," she said with a wink to rival one of Hook's own, then left to dance with someone else. The rest of the night, every time she caught him looking at her all Emma could think was, _I won._

* * *

Red was panicking so badly that she'd had to leave the ballroom. Mulan had definitely started her conversation with Belle, and it had taken under a minute for Red to realize she didn't want to be there for whatever happened. There was a courtyard off the side of the ballroom where she had gone to take refuge from her feelings. She sat on a bench, took deep breaths, and tried not to think about how Belle had looked in her phoenix costume. Her crossbow was getting unwieldy, so Red put it underneath the bench.

She was just starting to get her bearings when an inexplicable thing happened. Will Scarlet and Sidney Glass, who Red had never seen in the same space for more than a few seconds, walked out of the ballroom door together.

Red looked at the odd pairing, and they stared right back at her. Finally, she said, "You don't seem like you're here to make out," referring to the courtyard's popularity for clandestine encounters.

"The opposite, actually," Sidney replied smoothly. "We were both trying to escape all of the couples in there."

Red felt a stab of annoyance that they'd invaded her sanctuary like this, but simply nodded and hoped they'd go away soon. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be happening; instead, Will actually sat down on the bench next to her and continued talking.

"The royal family's the worst of the lot," he told Red, who was currently trying to figure out how to move away from him without seeming rude. "Even that maiden they saved from the ogres, though she's not technically a relation."

Red froze. "Do you mean Belle?" she asked carefully.

"Right, that's the one. She's in there with that warrior lass as we speak."

"Oh, that's just Mulan. They're not together," Red explained, feeling the relief wash over her.

"Are you sure? They did seem rather… intimate," Sidney said.

 _That's not possible,_ Red thought, feeling frantic. "Of course they are. They're friends."

Will laughed. "Friends, right. Yeah, they looked like pretty good _friends_ in there, didn't they, Sid?"

"Please don't call me that," said Sidney. He seemed to be trying to distance himself from his companion. "But your insinuation that the situation seemed more romantic than friendly is correct."

Red couldn't breathe. _Mulan's safer for Belle,_ her mind unhelpfully pointed out. _She's not a werewolf._

"We should return to the masquerade," Sidney said when it was clear that Red was not going to reply.

"Right," Will said, standing up. As he made to leave, he leaned in towards Red and grinned. "Enjoy the party."

As soon as Will and Sidney were out of sight, Red dropped her head into her hands and began to cry, dry racking sobs that hurt her eyes and her throat and made her feel as though she would never be whole again. She didn't know how much time she spent there, but by the time Emma came to collect her the ball had ended. During that time all Red could think about was how tight her skin felt, how badly she needed to run and not have to slow down for anything. She stared at the half moon through her tears and willed it to change. Red pictured herself leaving, imagined running through the woods even as she was, but that wouldn't help her escape herself.

When Emma arrived, she just looked at Red for a few minutes. She'd stopped crying, but knew that she didn't look her best. Thankfully, Emma didn't comment on her appearance.

"Come inside," she said, taking Red by the arm and pulling her up. "Everyone's in the kitchen, they're waiting for you."

"I'm not signed up to cook tonight."

"I know," Emma said, smiling as she gently pulled Red towards the door. "But I think you'll want to be there anyway."

A horrible thought struck Red. "Belle and Mulan aren't in there, are they?"

"Come on," Emma said, ignoring the question. "I promise you'll be glad you did."

Red was too tired to argue, so she nodded and let Emma lead through the corridors and to the kitchen, trying her hardest not to think about Belle and Mulan together.

Emma pulled open the door and all but pushed Red into the kitchen. Mulan and Belle _were_ there, as were Snow and Charming. All four of them looked insufferably happy, and if Emma hadn't been between her and the door, Red would have run. Instead, she stood near the table and leaned on it for dear life.

"Red!" Mulan said, with a larger smile than Red had ever seen on her face. "I talked to Belle at the ball."

"Oh yeah?" Red replied, digging her nails into the table. "I— I hope it makes you happy." _You can cry later when you're alone,_ she told herself firmly.

Mulan frowned and came closer. "What's going on?"

"Wait a minute," Emma said. "I've seen you like this before. You're jealous!"

Mulan furrowed her brow. "You thought I was talking to Belle for my own sake?"

"You know, there's no need to talk about me as though I weren't here," Belle said. She approached Red and took her hands. "I don't know what you thought happened, but you're being an idiot." Red was amazed to see tears forming in Belle's eyes. "Do you remember that day in the kitchen when we first met? I think I fell halfway in love with you during that conversation alone. Even if Mulan _had_ come to me with her own feelings, I would not for _one second_ have abandoned the way I feel about you. Okay?" she asked, cupping Red's face with her hand.

"Okay," Red nodded, only a little embarrassed to feel herself beginning to tear up too.

Belle pulled her hand away and put it back in Red's. "In that case," she said, smiling ( _and God, what a beautiful smile,_ Red thought.) "Would you do me the great honor of escorting me to my coronation ceremony?"

Red glanced at Snow, who nodded. "We've decided that since we already consider Belle as family, it's time we made that official. We're having the ceremony two weeks from today."

Red thought quickly. Two weeks from tonight was Wolfstime, but she had her granny's cape. It wouldn't be perfect coronation attire, but… "Of course," she said, turning back to Belle. The look in her eyes made Red's heart do funny things in her chest. All at once, Belle threw her arms around her.

"I think it's your cue to say something, Red," Emma said with a laugh once they'd released each other.

"Why bother?" There were no words good enough for this, the way Belle had felt in her arms, the way her fingers were still stroking Red's as though letting go would be the worst possible thing that could happen.

"Then Belle, I think you'd better say something. Or better yet, just kiss her." Emma sounded far too pleased with herself, but Red was spared the necessity of telling her so when Belle replied,

"That I can do."

Red's eyes widened as Belle moved closer. The hand cupped her face again, tenderly as though she might fall apart at any moment. Oddly enough Red _did_ feel as though she might fall apart from the closeness. She had kissed people before, gawky boys who didn't know what to do with their hands. None of them had held her like this, like she mattered. It was only with Peter that things had felt this way, before... everything. Then Belle's lips found hers, and she closed her eyes at the feeling. Belle tasted like black tea and roses. Her mouth opened slightly, and Red sighed into it.

After a moment, Belle pulled away. Until that moment, Red hadn't even remembered that there were other people in the room with them. Even so, she lingered for a moment to push back a strand of Belle's hair before stepping away.

"Well, looks like everyone's finding their true love but me," Emma said in a joking tone of voice. "I'd better not fall under any curses that need to be broken with a kiss."

"I could find your true love," Mulan said. It was a very odd thing to say; Red looked at her in confusion.

Emma laughed. "Thanks, but I think that'd ruin my lifelong dream of spinsterhood. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Red, Belle, congratulations on finding each other." She exited the room. Red noticed Snow watching her leave.

"What is it?" she asked.

Snow sighed. "Have you noticed that whenever we talk to Emma about love, she turns it into a joke? Ever since Neal, that's been true."

Red winced at the mention of Neal. She had been present when Emma told her parents the truth about what had happened, and it wasn't a memory she enjoyed reliving. "She needs time, your majesty."

"It's been five years," Snow said quietly. "If she's not over it now, when will she be?"

Charming slid his arm around her waist. "Maybe now's not the right time for Emma," he suggested. "You can't force love."

"I know. I know! I know I need to let Emma live her own life, but I'm worried she'll end up alone if she carries on this way," Snow admitted. "She closes herself off so much."

"Maybe we should send her out into the world for a while. I didn't find my true love until she robbed me in the woods," Charming said with a wry smile.

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," Mulan said. Once again, Red wondered what she was up to. "Have you seen her with Killian? They'd be a perfect match if they'd stop trying to one-up each other all the time and actually _talked._ "

Charming shook his head. "Believe me, it's crossed my mind as well. But Emma's too stubborn, she wouldn't consider Killian if we suggested him."

"No, we can't suggest it to either of them," Mulan said. "Killian's the same way. But I think there is something else we can do."

"You've been planning something, haven't you?" Red asked. "This morning, when you said Killian would fall in love before the month was over. That wasn't a prediction, it was a plan."

Mulan nodded and looked at them each in turn. "I think that with the right ruse, we can give them the push they need."

Belle leaned forward. "Let me make sure I understand. Are you suggesting that we _trick_ Emma and Killian into falling in love?"

"Yes."

"Well, I for one think that's an excellent idea," she said. "I'll assist you in whatever way I can."

Red, who had already though this sounded like a great deal of fun, was relieved to hear that Belle felt the same. "I'm in. Killian's been way too smug about the whole never falling in love thing."

Charming seemed to think about it, then shook his head. "This doesn't seem right. My first engagement was arranged by someone else, and if I'd gone through with it I would have been miserable."

"But we wouldn't be arranging anything, Charming!" Snow said with apparent excitement. "We'd be giving them a little nudge."

Charming seemed to consider this. "Okay, so what if we give them this nudge and they get together when they're really both supposed to be with someone else?"

"Then it'll fix itself, like it did with us," Snow said. "If nobody had pushed you towards Princess Abigail, you wouldn't have been in the woods that day and we would never have met."

"We could actually be acting _for_ fate by doing this," Red pointed out. "Maybe we're supposed to push them together for some reason we don't even know about yet." If Charming didn't go for this, Red knew that Snow wouldn't either, and then the whole thing would be ruined.

Fortunately, Charming relented. "I seem to be outnumbered," he said. "I guess we're going to make Captain Jones and Emma fall in love."

Belle looked at Red, eyes shining. "Now _this_ is going to be fun."

Mulan smiled and leaned forward across the table. "So here's the plan…"

* * *

When Regina let Will into her chamber the next day, she could tell just from his face that he had managed to botch things somewhere along the line. "Enter," she said imperiously. This time, she had opted to remain seated at her desk, as though Will wasn't even worth the time it took to stand.

"Your Majesty," he said. "You'll be wanting news of the ball, I assume?"

"Let me guess," Regina said coldly. Her voice was even, but inside she was furious. "You failed. Sidney, too, since I sent him along to assist you. At great personal risk, I might add."

"It was only a first attempt," Will assured her, far too cheerfully. Regina clenched her fists. "There'll be plenty of other opportunities, rest assured."

"How about you get _one_ more opportunity to prove your worth, and after that your chances at a magic bean just—" Regina waved her hand. "—disappear?" She would have liked to throw a threat to remove his heart, but he knew as well as she did that it would be an empty one.

The grin slid off of Will's face, and he nodded. "I won't fail you this time, Highness. Cross my heart."

"Better. And this time your plan goes through _me_ first, am I clear? Plausible deniability means nothing your plans don't even work."

"Right, very clear." Will swallowed hard; Regina could see his throat working.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "I'm not getting any younger."

"Right! Well, the last plan, which almost worked, by the way, was to convince the wolf that Lady Belle loved someone else. I say, let's try that again, but with a little bit of proof this time, eh?"

"And how exactly do you propose we do that?"

"Well, the thing is—I've been having a little bit of— a dalliance, that is, with Lady Belle's maidservant Lily. With just a bit of persuasion on my part, I could be seen with her in Belle's room. From a distance—"

"—she looks enough like Belle, I'll give you that much. But how do we ensure this dalliance is seen?"

"I was thinking about that too, actually, and I thought that maybe Sidney—"

"No," Regina said. "I don't trust Sidney with this. _I_ will be the one to make sure Red sees you. Snow, too, it'll crush her. Very well, I just have one more question."

"What's that?"

"Exactly what kind of idiot are you?" Regina felt a surge of satisfaction as Will's face fell. "Your last plan was based on a premise that proved inaccurate, yet you chose to base your second plan on the same flawed idea?"

"Your Highness—"

"Do be quiet, I'm thinking." She closed her eyes, running through a list of possibilities. "It's not totally useless. Yes, a Fidelity Potion would do it." She turned back to Will. "Scarlet, it's your lucky day. You're still useful to me after all."

Will looked a bit nervous, but smiled. "How's that? Besides Lily's complete and utter devotion to my dazzling self?"

"I need you to make me a potion. Don't give me that look," she said. "I'll walk you through it. I just can't be an active participant in making it or it won't work, thanks to the Blue Fairy."

"Meaning no disrespect, but don't the royals have their food checked for potions on the regular?"

"Poisons, yes, but a Fidelity Potion wouldn't show up."

"Not that I'm ungrateful or nothing," Will said. "But how exactly does a Fidelity Potion make my plan any more worthwhile than it was before?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fidelity Potions instill trust in a specific person . In this case, me," she explained. "After they've consumed it, Snow and the She-Wolf will believe everything I say about Belle, especially when your ruse will give them a lovely visual. But it has to be done soon. The longer we wait, the less chance that it will work."

"If I might be so bold," Will said. "You should do it in a fortnight's time."

"And why is that?"

Will looked far too pleased with himself. "I may have picked up a tidbit of information regarding a certain lady's coronation and official adoption into the royal family."

"They're making Belle into a princess? That's absurd."

"Doubt it all you want, but remember, you pay me to know things. It'll be announced later today. The wolf's escorting her to the party. But imagine for a moment if the night before, she was given a reason to become very angry with Belle. Falsely accusing her of disloyalty at her own coronation—well, that might just be irreparable damage, wouldn't you say?"

Regina smiled. "Keep up this kind of work, Scarlet, and you might be earning that bean after all."

* * *

Killian was sitting in the courtyard, tying and untying knots in a length of rope. This activity could have been just as easily accomplished indoors, but Mulan had taken to giving him knowing looks every time he was in the soldier's quarters. His disguise at the ball and the ensuing actions had seemed so clever the night before, but judging by Mulan's looks today it was possible he hadn't fooled everyone.

Why _had_ he behaved the way that he had? The insults were one thing, and the look on Emma's face had made them entirely worth it, but the dancing? It was best forgotten. He took comfort in the fact that he must have fooled Emma, at least. She would never let something like that slide without mocking. Furthermore, she would never have leaned into him the way that she had.

He let his mind stray for a moment, remembering the way she had felt in his arms, then shook himself mentally. Killian could practically see Mulan's raised eyebrow if she could read his thoughts, and she'd already had a thing or two to say about his opinion on love. Not that it mattered if he had feelings for Emma, _which he didn't._ He was simply remembering an enjoyable evening. Besides which, Emma would certainly never return those feelings, if he actually had them.

Emma and Killian had been at odds since practically the moment they met. After receiving a message from Queen Snow regarding the Ogre War, he had docked his ship in their kingdom. The message had spoken of a deal, but in his heart Killian had doubted they'd be willing to offer anything he wanted.

* * *

Killian watched them arrive through his telescope, wary of the whole idea of joining forces with royalty. All the same, if the ogres destroyed too much of the kingdom, there'd be nowhere to make port with his contraband. It was a predicament, to say the least, but the the idea of actually siding with royalty made his skin crawl. If this had been the kingdom that sent his brother on that fatal voyage, he wouldn't have even considered their offer, but he'd heard rumors about this bandit queen and her husband and, curiosity won out. Even so, he couldn't imagine this would be a particularly long conversation.

However, the minute they stepped on his boat Killian was caught off guard. He had expected an ambassador of some sort, but instead he was graced with the presence of the queen herself, along with the woman he later learned to be Princess Emma. He hadn't recognized the queen from the distance, but there was no doubting the delicate crown upon her head. Killian had to force himself not to calculate its worth and instead focus on the matter at hand.

But before he could say a word, Snow had stepped onto his boat without so much as a request for permission. "We won't take too much of your time," she said. "What would it take to get you on our side for this war?"

Killian was flabbergasted. "Your Majesty," he said, trying to act as though he weren't thrown off by this whole thing. "Would you like to sit? Perhaps a drink is in order."

"No time. I'm meeting with six other people today, all with their own agendas, and quite frankly? I don't care. I'll give whatever it takes to keep my people safe."

The other woman scoffed. She was dressed for riding, in pants and a vest, and Killian had no idea who she was. Snow seemed to realize this, and added, "This is my daughter Emma. She doesn't like the idea of making deals with criminals to win a war."

"I never said that!" Emma blurted out.

"No, but you're thinking it," Snow said shortly. "So, Captain. What'll it take?"

Killian had prepared a list of demands the night before, but somehow it was less satisfying knowing that the queen would give him virtually anything for his allegiance. "Full leniency for all of the crimes committed within your borders both by me and my crew," he said, naming the most important item and forgoing the rest.

"Done," Snow said. "I've got to go. Emma will stay behind to draw up the contracts."

Emma nodded, looking as though she had toothaches on both sides of her mouth. "Come on, pirate, let's get this over with."

"Of course," he said smoothly, leading her into the dining room where he'd had a table set for the expected ambassador. "Care for a drink?"

"Trying to poison me? I'll pass."

Killian's chest tightened painfully as he thought about Liam. He scowled. "Let me tell you something, _love._ " He leaned in. "I may be a pirate, but I believe in good form. Any more insinuations otherwise, particularly while on _my_ ship, will not be taken lightly."

Emma looked entirely unimpressed. "A pirate with a code, huh? Original. So comforting that villains always manage to see themselves as some kind of hero."

"Almost as comforting as the way that royalty always manage to see their birth as a sign that of superiority, rather than luck." Killian smirked at the look on Emma's face. "Be that as it may, I believe we have some contracts to draw up, _love._ "

Emma's face went red. "Stop calling me that," she muttered.

"And miss out on the lovely look on your face? I think not."

"Pirate."

"Never claimed to be otherwise. Now, if you please, the papers."

Emma pulled some parchment out of her satchel and shoved it across the table. "Standard form. We write down what my mother promised you, and what you're giving her in return. In this case, that's full allegiance in the Ogre War. Any retraction of said allegiance renders the rest of the agreement null. You'll be expected to report to the palace in a fortnight, or we'll assume you've changed your mind."

Killian read over the agreement, then, sensing Emma's impatience, read it again just to bother her. Finally, he filled out the necessary portions and signed his name.

She snatched it back from him and stuffed it in her bag. "See you in two weeks, _captain,_ if you don't die in the depths of the sea before then."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

The sound of nearby footsteps tore Killian from his thoughts. He looked up, only to see Mulan, Queen Snow, and Red approaching his courtyard. While Red would have been welcome company, Killian was loathe to endure more of Mulan's looks and Red's amorous the Ogre Wars she had been the embodiment of a true soldier; blunt, honest and unwavering in their task. But now, she was less wolf and more puppy, with eyes only for Belle. There was no way out of the courtyard other than the one the women were coming in through. Instead he looked around for a hiding place, quickly spotting a tree that would suffice. His years onboard the Jolly Roger meant that Killian was no stranger to climbing; he quickly pulled himself up into the tree and climbed to a place where he could no longer be seen unless one knew exactly where to look. From that vantage point he could overhear the conversation without having to partake in it. His rope was still on the ground, and he prayed that nobody would see it and realize he was here.

"It sounds like everything's working out for you, Red," he could hear Snow saying.

"It is."

"I just wish thing would work out for Emma like they have for you and Belle," Snow said. "I'm so happy for the two of you, but I'm starting to think Emma's never going to find anybody."

Of course. Even in eavesdropping Killian couldn't escape having to think about Emma. It was as though the forces of the universe were conspiring against him, if one believed in that sort of thing.

"If only she weren't so stubborn," Red said.

"What do you mean?" Snow asked.

Red sighed loudly. "She's been I love with Killian for months, but she won't say anything."

Killian almost fell out of the tree and was forced to cling to the trunk for balance. She _what?_

"It's probably better that way," Mulan said. "What with Killian's whole anti-love attitude."

"Are you sure she's in love with him?" Snow asked. "They're always arguing about something or other."

"I told her that was the best way to play it," Red said. "Can you imagine if he found out? He'd tear her to shreds. She's finally started getting over Neal, she doesn't need to get her heart broken again"

 _Who the bloody hell is Neal?_ Careful not to make a sound, Killian climbed to a lower branch to hear the conversation better. His foot slipped on one of the branches, almost sending him hurtling to the ground. He managed to right himself by catching a higher branch with his hook and dangling for a moment while his legs found footing.

 _Surely they heard that,_ Killian thought with a sinking heart. However, fortune seemed to favor him as the women continued their conversation without even glancing into the tree.

"How bad is it?" Snow asked.

"Bad," Red said. "She keeps saying she'll stay away because being around him is so hard, but she can't stick to her decision."

"You saw them at the ball together," Mulan said. "He was the one in the ogre mask, remember?"

So Mulan _had_ recognized him, and from the sound of it, Emma may have too. Killian swore under his breath.

"When we talked afterwards, she said she had to cut the dance off early because it was too hard not to kiss him," Red said. She seemed to be stifling a laugh, which annoyed Killian. What had gotten into Red? She was hardly the type of person to laugh at someone's pain.

In his frustration, Killian gripped the a tree branch too hard, scraping his hand. Blood rose to the surface of his palm. A few dropped fell towards the ground, and Red sniffed the air. _Bloody wolf senses._ He made his body painfully flat against the tree just as she looked up. Despite the complete lack of camouflage that leather provided, Red's eyes passed over him.

"And there's no chance he loves her back?" Snow asked.

Red turned back to listen to the conversation, and Killian finally allowed himself to exhale. Now was not the moment to be caught eavesdropping.

Mulan laughed harshly. "Killian? The only face he loves is his reflection in the mirror. And even if he did love her back he'd never admit it. He has too much pride, and he's sworn never to fall in love."

"I don't think he realizes he's hurting her," Red said to Snow. "He's just kind of oblivious."

"Although if he did know, he'd tease her even worse," Mulan said. "Telling him would only make things harder on Emma. I saw we should just keep encouraging her not to let him get to her. Eventually she'll move on."

"Poor Emma," Snow said. "I just want her to be happy."

"She will be," Red said reassuringly. "She just has to get over Killian first."

The subject changed, but Killian didn't hear a word that was said after that point. His mind kept repeating phrases like _in love with Killian_ and _too much pride._ Was that really how people thought of him? And those comments about him tearing her to shreds, when Emma had always been just as quick to insult him as he was her! Unless, like Red suggested, that was a way for Emma to protect herself. But how was he to know that? She had never shown any sign that it was so.

Killian was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice the women leaving, only that they were gone now. He climbed down the tree slowly. His mind was still running in circles, and he couldn't keep himself from thinking about how it had felt to have Emma in his arms, how her lips might taste on his. What would he do if she truly loved him? An imaged flashed in front of his face of her, dressed in leather and steering the ship. But that wasn't a possiblity as the only child of royalty she would have to stay and rule her kingdom. Never mind that the royal family would hardly accept her running off with a pirate. And Killian wasn't willing to remain landlocked forever. He was already counting the days until he could return to the Jolly Roger, if Smee hadn't run her aground already.

Still… Killian sat down heavily on a bench, pondering what he had heard. The possibility of a future with Emma was nothing to sneer at. Mulan and Red would mock him for going back on his vow, but then, hadn't Red done the same? And with the way Red and Belle had been acting lately, perhaps there was something to this love stuff after all.

 _Not that I'm convinced I love her back,_ Killian added belatedly. But before he'd had time to think further, Emma herself appeared in the courtyard.

"Don't worry, I don't want your company any more than you want mine," she said as she approached him. "I'm only here because my dad sent me to invite you to dinner."

Yes, Killian thought, there were certainly marks of love in her.

"Thank you for taking the time to come inform me of this," he said, forgoing the opportunity to return the insult.

Emma frowned. "It took less than a minute to get here. Believe me, if it'd been any more strenuous I'd have sent someone else."

"Then let us both be glad that it was _not_ more strenuous, for I can assure you I most assuredly prefer your company to that of whichever dwarf you would have sent."

"Really? That's sweet," Emma said, narrowing her eyes. "Because I like your company too—about as much as I like being stabbed." With that, she walked away.

Killian leaned back and watched her go. So Red and Mulan had been telling the truth. How had he never noticed the lack of malice behind Emma's insults before? Besides which, if she had truly hated him she would have sent someone else straightaway. Princesses were certainly allowed to pass on unpleasant tasks, weren't they? (Killian ignored the unhelpful voice pointing out that while Princesses in general might have that privilege, Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter wouldn't.)

She must be in love with him, and if that was true, there was only one thing left to do.

Killian would have to sacrifice his pride and fall in love with her, too.


	3. Act III

**Author Notes: Attention Red Beauty shippers! Red Beauty Week is being held on tumblr from September 13-19. This is a week to post and celebrate all content relating to Red Beauty (Ruby/Belle). If you write fic or make gifsets, reclists, fanvids, etc., this is a great time to post work and have it recognized. If you don't make anything, this is a great chance to view and promote other people's work. There's a different theme for each day of the week, so don't worry about not having enough ideas. If you're interested, check out .com for more details.**

 **As always, thanks to Castle-Dancer1212 for betaing.**

Emma was sitting in a parlor of the castle staring out the window and thinking about how long it had been since there had been a proper storm. Her sewing, which she'd worked diligently on for approximately three minutes, had long since been discarded and was sitting on the ground next to her chair. Outside the window, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

 _Of course there isn't,_ Emma thought bitterly. She wasn't necessarily a fan of inclement weather, but there were times like today when the mildness of everything felt suffocating. A storm would trap her inside the palace, but on the other hand, it would wreak just a little bit of destruction and make what had remained seem clean, miraculous. Maybe if she was lucky she could feel that way too. She could use that right now.

Emma was s lost in her thoughts of rain that she didn't even notice Lily entering the room until she was standing right next to her. It wasn't until the maid called her name that she looked away from the window.

"Sorry, I was distracted. What's up?"

Lily looked bored. "Belle wants you. She's in her chamber."

"Any idea what it's about?"

"Nope."

"I guess I'll just have to go see." Emma left the room, forgetting about her needlework until she'd already passed through several corridors. _I can go back for it later,_ she told herself, knowing she wouldn't. She wasn't supposed to leave things like that laying around, and she felt bad about leaving more work for the maids, but she knew that if she left it for later she'd forget about it. She'd just about convinced herself to go back for it now she passed Hook in the hall, and became distracted. After a moment of very strange eye contact Hook pointedly looked away, saying nothing as they passed.

 _What is_ up _with him lately?_ Emma wondered, not for the first time. She could understand his behavior at the ball; he had, after all, been trying to hide his identity, but the past few days had just been—weird. It had started that day in the courtyard, but what had sparked it, she had no idea. All she knew was that his usual insults had been replaced with lingering looks, and that when he did speak to her, he did so like a gentleman at court, nothing like the pirate she had grown so used to. Emma had never realized how much she enjoyed bickering with Hook until she'd been deprived of it. She'd liked having at least one person who would ignore her title and treat her like he would anyone else, and now that was gone.

Emma was so deep in thought that she walked right past Belle's door. Shaking herself mentally, she turned around to make her way back, but as she did so she heard voices coming from the room. She paused, unsure of whether to risk eavesdropping or just knock, when she heard her father's voice saying, "And you're certain that Jones loves Emma?"

Emma stifled a gasp, then crept closer to the door in time to hear Belle say, "Well, Red and Mulan both say so at any rate."

"Good enough. I can't imagine that either of them would lie," Charming replied. "Do you think Emma should know?"

Marian's voice came in next. "It doesn't seem like a wise decision, Your Majesty. I mean no offense to your daughter, but do you really think she'd leave Hook alone after learning something of this nature?"

"They say," Belle said gently. "That hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Emma already uses Killian to vent her anger about Neal. I can only imagine it would get worse after learning of his feelings."

Emma leaned even closer to the door and slipped, landing on the ground with a loud thump. She waited, breathless, for someone to open the door and demand to know what she was doing there, but after a prolonged silence, the conversation went on.

"You're right." Charming sighed. "I just wish she could move past Neal and onto something better. She can't see what's right in front of her."

"It really is a pity," Belle said, in a much louder tone than she normally spoke in. "Killian would be quite good for her."

Emma had to repress a snort at that. Hook, good for her? Not a chance. As quietly as she could, she pulled herself to her feet and pressed her ear back to the door.

Marian seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Do you think so? He _is_ a pirate."

Despite what she had just been thinking, a wave of protectiveness that Emma couldn't quite understand flared up inside her. So what if Hook _was_ a pirate? He wasn't half as dull as the princes she'd been forced to spend time with, and his manners, when he chose to use them, were unparalleled. And yes, he'd probably stolen from people, but hadn't Snow done the same during her time on the run from Regina? And hadn't Neal suggested doing that to survive when they'd talked about running away? Maybe that was the price of freedom. Emma had a sudden image of herself as a pirate, but banished it immediately. Just because she was defending Hook's decision to herself didn't mean she was planning on running out and following his lead.

She pressed her ear back into the door just in time to hear her father say, "I agree with Belle, actually. Emma needs someone who can keep up with her. Jones can do that, if nothing else."

"Do you think she suspects his feelings?" Marian asked.

"No." Belle sounded certain of that. "As you said, she would be teasing him half to death if she did. Emma doesn't have a clue."

"How long has this been going on?" Charming asked. "Just since he got back from the war?"

"Longer. according to Red, Killian says he's been in love with Emma since he first laid eyes on her. It wasn't until the masquerade that he began to have trouble hiding his feelings."

"Did something happen that night?" Marian asked.

"Well, I don't know how closely you were watching Emma, but she danced quite closely with Killian without realizing who he was."

 _I did too know who he was!_ Emma thought indignantly.

"The man in the ogre mask. Of course!" Charming said.

"It was the first time Killian was able to see what it would be like to be around Emma if she didn't hate him. He says it was easy to hide it when he didn't know what he was missing, but now it's impossible."

For a wild moment, Emma wondered if Belle had gotten her facts wrong somehow. Killian, in love with her? Impossible. But if he wasn't, how did everything Belle was saying fit so well? Hadn't she herself just been thinking about how weird Hook was acting lately?

"You know, I almost feel sorry for the guy," Charming said.

"Red does as well. For myself, I don't believe I'm well enough acquainted with him to have formed a strong opinion, but he seems like a good man."

Emma crept away from the door and all but ran to her own room. "Almost feel sorry for the guy?" she said out loud. She paced around the room, unable to convince her body to be still. Her own father felt bad for someone who was in love with her. That didn't bode well for her romantic prospects. Did he really think she was that cold hearted?

 _Well, you have been keeping everyone at bay since Neal left,_ she pointed out to herself.

 _Why shouldn't I?_ Another part of her argued. _The only way to avoid getting your heart stolen is not to gamble with it._ The fact that Killian would have enjoyed the gambling metaphor wasn't lost on her.

 _Hook,_ she corrected herself. _His name is Hook._ It must have been hearing Belle refer to him as Killian that had confused her. She and Hook were not a first name basis, and she liked it that way.

(Liked his nicknames for her, liked the way he said 'Swan' and 'Love' in a way that was somehow more intimate than if he'd just called her 'Emma.')

He loved her. Captain Hook loved her. Emma pinched herself, but unsurprisingly, nothing happened. _Hook loves me._ No wonder his teasing had stopped after the dance. She never should have let him in that much. But somehow, she couldn't regret that she'd done it.

Emma had to get things back to normal somehow. She missed talking to Hook, even if it just was to exchange insults. Furthermore, she had to prove to the others that no matter what they might think, Neal hadn't made her bitter all the way through to the core. But teasing Hook when he was in love with her was unacceptable. It would be one thing if she loved him back, but otherwise it was just cruel. And yet, the idea of maintaining this careful distance with him was entirely unappealing. Which meant that the only options was—

Well, she would have to fall in love with him.

It might not be all that difficult, she mused. Hook was attractive enough, if you liked men with leather coats and eyeliner. (Emma did.) He was interesting, and apparently her father approved of him, and she hadn't minded dancing with him at all. He also wasn't Neal. If anything could have confirmed that, it was the fact that he hid his love when he thought she wasn't interested. Neal would have pushed, would have demanded her love. Hook hadn't pushed, hadn't done anything except to step back when things became too much for him. Yes, falling in love with him was something she could do. Except—

It couldn't go anywhere.

In just over two weeks, he'd be going back to his ship. If there was one thing Emma knew about Killian Jones, it was that nothing would keep him from his ship for longer than that.

No wonder he'd been keeping his love hidden from her.

Emma never did find out what Belle had wanted her for, choosing instead to spend the rest of the afternoon alone in her room with her own thoughts. To fall in love with Hook would be painful, self-destructive, and moot. To keep her distance was surely the sensible thing to do. If she could avoid falling in love with him, Emma knew she'd be able to spare herself a world of heartache and pain.

(She wouldn't even let herself think about the possibility that some things are unavoidable, and maybe love was one of them.)

* * *

When Red saw Emma pacing the corridors with her head in the clouds, she knew that Belle must have been successful. She found Belle in her room and passed on the news, which of course led to them spending the morning and early afternoon together. Eventually (and with great reluctance,) Red was forced to pry herself away to meet Killian and Mulan.

Since their arrival at the palace the three of them had, by unspoken agreement, met in the kitchen almost every afternoon. They arrived too early for anybody to be cooking for dinner, so they had the place to themselves as they ate fruit out of bins and discussed their lives. Red had missed a few of these afternoons in favor of spending time with Belle, but today she wanted to see her friends. She'd had close friends before, of course, but there was something about fighting in a war together that had created tighter bonds between people than she had ever experienced before. Red didn't know what she'd do once Mulan and Killian left in a few weeks.

Mulan seemed to be thinking along those same lines. "You know," she said, looking around the kitchen. "I'm going to miss spending time in here with you when I'm gone."

"Have you considered staying at the palace after the month is over?" Red asked. "It'd be nice to have you around, and I'm sure Snow wouldn't mind."

Mulan shook her head.

"Why not?"

"There's a conversation I've been putting off for too long. I can't make any more excuses."

"Oh," Red said, suddenly understanding. "The girl you've been hinting at?"

"Yes," Mulan said, a bit stiffly. "Seeing you with Belle has only made me more aware of the fact that I need to face my feelings."

"Not going to tell us who it is?"

"No."

"Oh, come on," Red teased. "You're really not going to tell us?"

"I promise not to mock," Killian said from across the room, taking a swig of rum from his flask. He'd been quieter lately, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, and although he was always accompanied by his signature rum, he never seemed to reach the point of intoxication.

Mulan looked down. "Princess Aurora." Before anyone could comment on this, her head snapped back up and she turned on Killian. "You're acting different."

"You're right," Red said. She knew from experience that Mulan could not be made to talk if she didn't want to, and she relished the chance to tease Killian. "I think he's sadder."

"The dreaded Captain Hook, sad? Drunk, more likely."

"Or in love." This was mostly to get a reaction, and it almost worked; Killian didn't say anything to give himself away but Red could see a slight clenching of his jaw.

"No, he's much too sensible for that," Mulan replied. "If he's sad, it's because he's landlocked."

"If I _have_ been subdued lately, rest assured that it is only because I have nothing of interest to report while stuck in this infernal castle," Killian snapped.

"That's never stopped you from talking before," Red pointed out. "I still think it's love," she said to Mulan. "All the signs are there. Not eating, wandering off on his own, drinking—though I guess that one's always been true."

"In love, then," Mulan agreed. "I think I know who with."

Killian stood abruptly. "If this is the topic of this evening's conversation, I think I'd prefer to keep company with myself."

He was barely out of the room when Mulan and Red fell into a sea of laughter. When Snow entered the room a few minutes later, they were still giggling.

"I just saw Killian," she said. "I take it you're to blame for the look on his face?"

"I think Emma's to blame for the look on his face," Red said, succumbing to laughter once more.

"You think it's worked, then?"

"Belle and Charming laid the bait for Emma yesterday morning," Mulan explained. Red was in awe of her self-control; the minute Snow had walked in Mulan's laughter had ceased. "And Killian's been in a _mood_ ever since that morning in the courtyard."

"With Belle's coronation tomorrow night, there'll be plenty of opportunity to push them together," Red said. "They've both had enough time to obsess over the information."

"Should we be worried that they haven't talked to each other?" Snow asked. "If I had known that Charming loved me I would have been with him from the moment I met him."

Red snorted. "If you'd known Charming loved you you'd have hit him with an even larger rock and made sure he never found you. You and Emma are more alike than you think. You needed a little push from fate, and Emma needs a little push from—well, us. Trust me, after the coronation you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure Killian will show up?" Snow asked, forehead creased with worry. "He doesn't exactly seem like the type for royal functions."

"I'll force him there at sword point if necessary," Mulan said. "But I don't think it will be necessary, not when he knows Emma will be there."

Snow opened her mouth to speak, but before she could the kitchen door swung open. In walked Regina, not in her usual stately manner but seeming somehow gentler, though Red couldn't put her finger on how.

"Snow!" Regina said. "Thank goodness. I've been looking for you!"

Her dress was as terrifying and regal as ever, but her hair was looser. Maybe that was what made her seem safer, less likely to hurt them. Or maybe it was because it was so close to Wolfstime, and hardly anything scared Red when she was a wolf.

"What is it, Regina?" Snow asked softly.

"I must speak to you. Red can stay, this concerns her too."

"I'll take my leave, then," Mulan said, exiting the room swiftly. As she left she gave Red a worried look, but said nothing.

Red watched her go, then turned back to Regina. "What is it?"

"Do you truly love Belle?"

"Of course."

"Perhaps I shouldn't tell you this, then," Regina said, wringing her hands.

"Tell us what?" Snow asked. She moved closer and put a hand on Regina's shoulder. "You know you can tell us anything, Regina."

"No, I mustn't. I know that you still see me as the small, vengeful person I once was, but I can't put another person's happiness on the line like this."

"If there's something we should know, please tell us," Red said.

Regina looked her in the eye. "Belle has deceived you. She has been—what's the most delicate way to put this?—unfaithful."

"That's impossible," Red said automatically. "Belle loves me."

"Even now, she's with a man in her chamber. Come with me," Regina urged. "They can be seen from the courtyard, but we must hurry."

Red felt as though there were something stuck in her chest. She didn't want to believe this, but there was no reason Regina would lie, was there? Maybe Regina had gotten something wrong, had misunderstood something she'd seen. So then, all Red had to do was go look at what Regina wanted to show her, and then the whole thing could get cleared up, right?

Snow seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Red, why don't we go take a look?" she said. "Maybe it's not what it looks like."

"You're right. We'll go with you," she said, turning back to Regina.

Regina's smile looked much less sinister than usual. Maybe she really had turned over a new leaf and was trying to help. She led them to the courtyard. As she walked, Red reminded herself to take deep breaths, to wait until she saw what Regina had seen before getting upset.

When they got outside, Regina led them to the very side of the courtyard. "There," she pointed, to where the light of the setting sun illuminated Belle's balcony.

Red exhaled. "There's nothing there."

"Keep looking."

Red kept her eyes trained on the balcony, feeling a bit safer now that she knew there might not be anything there. But all too soon, someone did step out onto the balcony. In the dimming light, it took Red a second to register long brown hair and a dress that she was all too familiar with. _Definitely Belle, then,_ Almost immediately a man followed, slipping his hand around Belle's waist, and before Red could come up with any rationale for this, Belle was kissing him for all she was worth, and she knew there could never be an explanation that would make this okay.

Regina had been right all along. Red felt sick as she continued to watch the man pulling Belle closer. She looked closer, but couldn't make out who the man was, only that Belle was wearing her yellow dress, Red's favorite, and _God_ if that didn't make the whole thing a thousand times worse. Red couldn't look at the scene in front of her anymore, but she couldn't look away, so instead she let her eyes unfocus, until all she could see was the dress, the hands on the dress, the way Belle's hair fell over the back of the dress, and as long as she kept her eyes unfocused like she could ignore the way the parts made a whole. The way everything in the scene spelled out betrayal.

* * *

Red had seen the dress before, but she'd never paid attention to it until Belle had worn in that afternoon in the woods. Red's morning was spent in the courtyard with the others making sure Killian overheard then talk about Emma. She enjoyed being part of the trick, but the moment she was free she ran to the kitchen, where Belle was already waiting, picnic basket in hand. "I didn't want to waste a minute I could be spending with you," Belle said, laughing a bit ruefully. Red laughed too, and it was easy. Being with Belle was easy, so she kissed her without a moment's thought, kissed her so thoroughly that Belle dropped the picnic basket to throw her arms around Red's neck, and yes, the bottle of wine broke on the stone floor and yes, they'd had to clean it up and there'd been no wine for their picnic, but neither of those things mattered. The dress had been smooth and silky under Red's hands.

"I haven't spent much time away from the grounds," Belle admitted when they left the palace, and Red told her not to worry, that she knew just where to go. There was no reason for subterfuge, but Red still showed Belle her secret way in and out of the palace, and Belle gave her one of those smiles that said she was glad to be part of the secret. The dress was far too formal for the woods but neither of them cared, both too eager not to lose a moment in each other's presence. When they finally sat in a clearing together, Red could see bits of dirt clinging to the dress, but Belle didn't seem to care so Red decided not to either. Even under the dirt, the dress had shone bright and yellow, and God, loving Belle was the easiest thing Red had ever done.

* * *

And now, someone else was touching the dress, the dress that Belle had worn for her for their picnic, and she should have known that anything that easy couldn't have meant anything.

Watching hurt, but looking away wasn't possible.

"Red," Snow said gently, putting a hand on her arm.

Red yanked out of her grasp and turned so that Snow and Regina couldn't see the tears that were beginning to slip from her eyes. "What do I do?" she asked shakily. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Make sure she can never do this to anyone again," Regina said.

"How?"

"Expose her for what she really is. Tomorrow night at her coronation, so the whole kingdom will know the truth."

A distant voice in Red's head warned her that this was not the way to do things, that revenge never solved anything, but a much stronger voice told her to trust Regina. But then, when had she ever trusted the Evil Queen over someone she loved? Everything Regina was saying made total sense, but something inside of Red still balked at it. She looked to Snow for guidance.

Snow seemed to be in an equal state of turmoil. "I don't know—"

Regina's voice turned soothing. "Of course, you don't have to do it that way. But isn't it only right, that others should know what she's done so they won't be harmed by her actions? Do you really want a girl like that as a daughter?"

"I guess not," Snow said slowly. "But isn't there another way?"

Red looked up at the balcony, at the man whose hands were still all over Belle's dress. She thought about the picnic in the woods, how she'd trusted Belle with everything that was in her. She'd even told her about Peter. How much of herself had she given away, and for this? To have her heart smashed into a million pieces like this? Red couldn't even tell how she was holding her own body up when everything inside of her seemed to have melted.

"Red?" Snow asked.

Maybe she should talk to Belle first. Maybe there was more to the story than this. But an increasingly loud voice inside of Red demanded that she listen to Regina, look to her for guidance. Regina, she was sure, understood everything, must have had her heart broken just this badly. She was the only person Red could trust now.

"Red?" Snow repeated. "Do you agree with Regina's plan?"

"Yes," Red said firmly, wiping the tears from her eyes and drawing up something steely inside of herself. Maybe it was the wolf, protecting her when the human wasn't strong enough to hold herself together anymore. "Regina is right. We can't let Belle hurt anyone else like this." Because if someone had told sooner, if someone had exposed Belle before now, Red never would have set herself up to be hurt like this. It wasn't fair. She couldn't let it happen again, not when she had the power to stop it.

"I think so too," Snow replied. "Thank you for telling us about this, Regina."

"Of course."

"Then it's settled," Snow said, drawing herself up. "Tomorrow, we'll tell everyone the truth about Belle."

* * *

Just after sunset, Happy stood proudly in front of a dozen or so guards. He took this post very seriously, and was eager to do a good job. Grumpy usually served as captain, but for the first time in years, he'd taken the evening off due to illness. Happy and Dopey had been thrilled for this chance to prove themselves.

"Now, everything must go smoothly tonight!" Happy informed the palace guards with a grin. "As you've surely heard, tomorrow night Belle will be officially welcomed into the Royal Family! That means that tonight's watch must go without a hitch."

"That's right," said Dopey, stepping forward so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with Happy. "Which is why I charge you with this important task: if you see any suspicious persons, you must comprehend them."

Happy chuckled. "What a delightful way to deal with criminals! It's true, we must all do our best to treat others with sympathy and understanding even if they moral codes don't align with our own. Didn't our beloved queen herself run afoul of the law in her earlier life?"

"Excuse me," one of the guards interjected. "What should we do if we come across anyone committing crimes against the kingdom? Surely we should try to capture them?"

"Ask them to stand in the name of Queen Snow," Happy suggested.

"And if they won't?"

"Just let them go," Dopey said. "And be glad you didn't have to deal with such a vagabond."

"How clever!" Happy said. "For any subject who will not stand in the name of Snow White is not a loyal one, and is therefore unworthy of our notice."

"Another thing," Dopey added, "Is that you must stay silent as the grave while manning your post, for silence is more abhorable and reflects well on a guard such as ours."

"Don't worry," a guard joked, "We'd all rather sleep through our watches than talk through them anyway."

"That is very wise!" Dopey replied. "As long as you do not snore too loudly, I don't think that sleeping would be a problem. The king and queen have suppressed hope that it will be a quiet watch, and sleeping seems like a lovely way to accommodate that!"

"If you come upon someone stealing, you may be tempted to apprehend them," Happy said. "But for such petty crimes as these, it may be best to leave the perpetrators alone to avoid being led astray by their influence."

"But if the royal family is being robbed, isn't it our job to do something?"

Dopey shook his head vigorously. "Your position allows you the privilege of attesting them, but that seems to me like an act of revenge. We must always try to be the bigger person, even those of us who are rather small."

Happy seemed deeply moved by this. Wiping away a tear, he said, "I have always considered you to be the most merciful of dwarves."

"Now, to your posts!" Dopey told the guards.

The guard who had asked the questions looked at her partner. "You ready?" she asked.

"Of course."

It was their day to scan the courtyards. The guards took turns with this particular post because it was so unpleasant. The goal was to make sure that nobody was breaking into the palace or making secret plans. In reality they spent a lot less time breaking up secret meetings and a lot more time breaking up necking couples. Tonight, however, fortune favored the guards; there was not a couple in sight. As a matter of fact, there was nobody in sight for hours, until near sunrise Will Scarlet slunk into the courtyard, soon followed by Sidney.

Sidney sat down on the bench next to Will. "Can I presume from the look on your face that your task was successful?" he asked without looking at the other man.

Will grinned. "It was. And after tomorrow's coronation, I'll have my bean and be on my merry way."

"Now that everything's gone according to plan, I don't suppose you'd tell me what exactly you and the queen were up to?"

"There doesn't seem to be much harm in it, now that the job is done. This very night we managed to finally Red Riding Hood into believing that her true love is unfaithful. For my small part in it, I met with her servant Lily on her balcony. Regina brought Red to a nice vantage point and swore up and down that Lily was Belle."

"And did Red believe this tale?"

"Hook, line, and sinker," Will said smugly.

Sidney seemed to be letting this sink in. After a moment he said, "I have a hard time believing that Red would fall for something so simple after our previous defeat. Surely there's more to the story than that?"

"There may have been a small Fidelity Potion involved," Will admitted. "But the heart of the plan still came from yours truly."

"What happens next?"

"Next? Well, that's the best part. Tomorrow at the coronation, Red will slander Belle's good name for all the kingdom to hear. Then I'll be on my merry way."

At this moment, the guards decided they had heard enough. They apprehended the men with absolutely no effort made to comprehend them, and took them to the dungeon to await trial.

* * *

Belle held up a dress in front her body. "What do you think?" She'd been planning what she'd wear for days, but at this moment, an hour before her coronation, she was experiencing just a hint of doubt.

"I think the other one is better," Lily said quickly. She indicated at the blue one laying the bed. "I'm sure Emma will agree, when she gets here."

Belle looked at the dress Lily was suggesting, then shook her head. "Red loves this one," she said, picking up her preferred dress. It was yellow, small at the waist with a full skirt. But, most importantly, it was what she had been wearing the day after the masquerade, when after the trick on Killian, she and Red had stolen away from the palace and stayed together in the woods until past sunset. It'd been a completely impractical outfit for that sort of adventure, and Red had teased her for it, but she couldn't regret wearing it, not when the day had been so perfect.

"Do you need me to slow down?" Red had asked as Belle stumbled over another tree root.

Belle shook her head, determined to keep up. By this point, she'd managed to tie up the bottom of the skirt with her sash so that it didn't drag along the ground. "Have you spent a lot of time here?" she asked. "In the woods, I mean."

"At least once a month," Red said, in a strangled sort of voice.

Belle looked down, wishing she hadn't opened her mouth. She knew that Red was self-conscious about the wolf, and she never knew how to explain that it didn't matter to her, that she'd love her no matter what. "Do you like it?" she asked finally, unsure of whether she meant the woods or the lycanthropy.

Red seemed to mull this over. "There _is_ something beautiful about how wild it is. The way that the danger makes you feel more alive."

Belle nodded, aware that this response could apply to either or both of her questions. "I think we need that," she said. "If life was always one way, without any change, we might as well all be dead." _I love that you're a wolf,_ she didn't say. _I love that you can contain something so large and terrifying inside of you and somehow manage to make it part of you._

"I don't know," Red said. "Don't you think there's something to be said for consistency? Knowing that you'll always come home to the same place, knowing that books will always end the same way, knowing that who you are now is who you'll always be?"

"Maybe in some things. But what about seasons?" Belle argued. "Imagine if it was always fall, and you never were able to sit outside on a hot day and feel as though you were melting, or had a snowball fight? Life wouldn't be nearly as interesting if things didn't change."

Red grinned. Her teeth were slightly sharper than anyone else's and Belle found herself falling even more in love with her. "I can't imagine you ever getting into a snowball fight. You're so—upright."

"Hey, I can handle myself in a snowball fight," Belle said. "I'm not just about books, you know."

"Oh, I know," Red said, playful look in her eyes. Suddenly, it dimmed again, and she said, "But think of how cozy it would be if it were always fall. It would never be hot or cold enough to hurt."

"Maybe I'm not afraid of getting hurt," Belle said stubbornly.

Red looked sad. "You should be." This didn't seem to be the end of her sentence, but she stopped speaking, so Belle just walked with her and waited for whatever would come next. Finally, Red turned on her fiercely and said, "Did I ever tell you about Peter?" She seemed angry, but Belle couldn't understand why.

"No," Belle said softly. "Tell me about Peter."

"I killed him." All of the life seemed to go out of Red at once; Belle felt as though she were getting whiplash from this range of emotions. "He was my first love, and I didn't realize I was a wolf yet and— I killed him. There was nothing left but a pile of bones."

Belle's first instinct was to tell Red it wasn't her fault, but something stopped her. Maybe it was because of how many times others had told Belle the same thing—that going to the palace was the only thing she could have done, that nobody could have saved her parents. It never made her feel less guilty. "Surviving is much harder than people make it out to be, isn't it?" she said instead.

Red looked at her, surprise etched into her face. "When it happened, I spent a lot of time wishing I hadn't," she admitted.

"I'm glad you did survive," Belle said. "I'm glad we both did, so we could know each other. I think—I think that love makes it worth it. All of it, even the parts we never wanted to believe could happen."

"Love won't bring Peter back," Red said, shaking her head. "Love won't make me less of a monster."

Belle was suddenly furious. "Of course love can't bring back Peter's life. But it can make yours worth living. And I don't think you are a monster, but even if you are, I still love you. I still see the good in you!"

Red didn't speak for a long time, and Belle refused to open her mouth either. But as they approached a clearing, Red suddenly looked at her. "Thank you," she said.

It was the kind of thing people say all the time but don't mean, but Red sounded as though she meant it with every fiber of her being. Belle found herself blushing, even more so when Red took ahold of her hand, like it was as easy as anything, as if being in love was easy. Belle knew about love in theory, had read all of the books and knew that whatever else could be said about love, it wasn't easy.

But that moment when Red took her hand, she began to think she'd been wrong, that maybe love was easy after all.

Emma entered the room, pulling Belle out of her reverie. She smiled, but looked as though her mind were a mile away. Belle stifled a laugh, sure now that Emma had heard every word she'd said about Killian being in love with her.

"Hey," Emma said.

"Hey? That's all I get on the day we're about to become sisters?" Belle teased. "You can do better than that."

"Sorry. I'm in a bit of a funk."

"Did something happen to put you in a bad mood?" _Like, say, finding out that your sworn enemy is just as in love with you as you are with him?_

"No, they were just all out of other moods at the market so I had to settle for this one," Emma quipped.

A funk, Belle decided, was right on schedule for Emma. She wasn't like Belle, able to fall in love and let it be that easy. Emma was the type to drive herself crazy thinking about things before she allowed herself to feel them. In fact, if she _had_ been acting perfectly normal so soon after hearing that Killian was in love with her, Belle would have worried that she didn't feel anything for him after all.

"Don't you want to see what dress I'll be wearing tonight?" she asked. "I know the suspense must be _killing_ you."

The play on Killian's name was weak at best, but Lily quickly picked up on the motif. "Of course, she'll need your help doing the _hooks,_ she said. Emma looked up quickly. "Of the dress, I mean."

"Oh. Of course I'll help."

"You didn't think I meant something else, did you?" Lily asked innocently.

"Of course not," Emma said.

"I wasn't trying to imply that you're in love," she said. "I know you better than that. Although come to think of it, Captain Jones was the same way, and now he's showing every symptom of a man in love."

"He is," Belle agreed. "You know, Lily, you might be right. Emma's got a look in her eyes that I'm sure I've never seen before."

"Oh, shut up," Emma said, giving Belle a playful shove. "Now let's get you into that dress."

By the time Belle was dressed and her hair done up, the nerves that had plagued her earlier had vanished. When tonight was over, she and Emma would be officially sisters, and she and Red would have made their first appearance at court as a real couple.

With Emma and Lily at her sides, Belle left for the great hall, towards Red and her coronation.


	4. Act IV

**Author Notes: Red Beauty Week starts a week from today and runs from September 13-19. Who's pumped? (Info on the week's themes can be found at redbeautyweek. tumblr .com. Huge shoutout to the person running it.)**

 **Thanks to Castle-Dancer1212 for the beta, you rock my socks.**

* * *

 _Let's just get this over with._

 _You'll get through this._

 _Please, you have to get through this._

Red couldn't get her feet to stay still. She moved back and forth at the meeting spot, too quickly to really be called pacing. It was as though her whole body was filled with electricity and if she held still for too long, she might burn up. When she finally saw Belle approach their meeting place, it was all she could do not to run the other direction and hide somewhere, somewhere safe and lonely where there would be nobody to break her heart.

She'd known it would hurt, but she hadn't thought it'd be like this. _Maybe I should just leave,_ she thought. _I can't do this._

 _You have to,_ Red reminded herself, before realizing something made her finally stop moving.

Belle was wearing the dress.

Seemingly oblivious to Red's pain, Belle spoke. "I sent Emma and Lily on ahead," she said with a smile. "I wanted to have a few minutes alone with you before we go in." Before Red realized what was happening, Belle's lips landed on her cheek.

Bile rose in Red's throat, but she shoved it down. She realized that she could look at Belle without crying as long as she focused on insignificant details, like the curls in her hair or shape of her shoes. Small, incremental fragments. Things that didn't carry meaning. "Let's just go," she said. "You wouldn't want to be late to your own coronation."

Red kept her fists clenched as they set off towards the great hall. _Don't you dare start crying,_ she told herself. Her steps seemed to echo as they walked through the corridors. If Red focused the right way they sounded like a heartbeat. It helped. It reminded her that she was still alive.

Belle reached for her hand, and for a second Red wanted to pull away. Instead, she let her hand be taken in one that fit far too perfectly in her own. In spite of herself, Red relaxed a bit. _I can't let my guard down,_ she thought desperately. _Regina's right. I can't let Belle hurt anyone else._ She clung to this decision like a lifeline. If this didn't make sense, then nothing in her life did.

"How was your day?" Belle asked her. "I don't think I saw you at all."

"You didn't."

"Oh."

The Great Hall seemed miles away, the silence only broken by the sounds of their footsteps. It wasn't until they were near the entrance that Belle spoke again.

"Are you all right?" she asked, giving Red's hand a squeeze. "You're awfully quiet tonight."

"I'm doing as well as can be expected," she replied tightly. "You know, what with it being Wolfstime and everything."

Even though she wasn't looking at Belle, Red could hear the frown in her voice."You said told me that fighting in the war helped you connect with the wolf better. I thought it didn't bother you anymore."

"You seem to think a lot of things won't bother me that do," Red snapped. Without giving Belle a chance to reply, she yanked open the great hall door. They entered, still hand in hand, through the civilian door. Snow insisted on this. The symbolism, she'd said, was as much a part of the ceremony as anything. Entering through one door and leaving through another was a powerful symbol of transformation.

 _Screw symbolism,_ Red thought. If they'd been allowed to enter through the royal door, they would have avoided walking through the crowd they were currently enmeshed in. She could feel the people pushing in on all sides, cutting off oxygen. Someone smiled indulgently, and she came dangerously close to dropping Belle's hand. They had no right to see this and think of them as a cute couple, not now.

When they reached the platform, Red finally felt her chest grow a tiny bit looser. They made their way up the steps, still hand in hand. When they'd reached the top, Charming gestured grandly.

"Let us invite you to join us in celebrating a most joyous occasion!" He announced. "Tonight, someone who we already consider our daughter will be joining our family in an official capacity. Belle, would you please step forward?"

Belle made a move to do so, but before she could, Snow held up a hand. "Actually, before we begin, I believe Red wanted to say something," she said. "Don't you, Red?"

Red nodded.

Charming looked surprised, but agreed. "Of course. Red, what would you like to say?"

Red felt sick to her stomach as she took a few shaky steps towards the front of the platform. Belle was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and happiness. _She's probably expecting some sort of speech about how much I love her,_ Red thought bitterly. She took a deep breath and looked at the crowd. No words came out, despite the full day's planning that she'd put into her speech. As the silence stretched out, Mulan and Killian both looked increasingly concerned at her. When she was on the verge of running offstage trying to forget this had ever happened Red spotted Regina in the audience, smiling encouragingly. Once again, she took a deep breath, and finally spoke.

She turned towards Charming and directed her words at him, speaking loudly enough for the crowd to hear as well. "Do you approve of my relationship with Belle?"

Charming frowned. "I'm not sure I think it's up to me who Belle dates. That's her decision."

"But do you approve?" Red pressed.

"Of course. Do you really doubt that I would?"

Red turned her head, and for the first time that evening she looked Belle in the eye. "Well, you shouldn't."

Belle flinched at her tone, but said nothing. The Great Hall was so quiet that even without her wolf hearing, Red was sure she'd be able to hear a pin drop. She squared her shoulders and waited, unsure of what was supposed to happen next.

"What do you mean?" Charming asked.

 _Here's my chance to get back at her._ No, that wasn't right. Here was her chance to explain, to say the words out loud so that maybe they'd finally make some sort of sense. To maybe, if she was really lucky, hear an excuse that would explain away everything she had seen in a way that didn't make her feel as though she needed to tear apart her skin. "I mean that if you love Belle, you should only want her to be with someone she loves," Red said, feeling her throat tighten. "And that's clearly not me, or she wouldn't have met with someone at her window last night."

Charming cleared his throat. "What exactly do you mean by 'met with someone?'"

Snow turned on him. "Come on, Charming, can't you see it's a euphemism?" she snapped.

"You think—" Belle seemed unable to form words. "You think I was— _with_ someonelast night?"

"Well, weren't you?" A small part of Red suddenly felt alive with hope. _Tell me something, anything, make it make sense._

"Of course not! I wasn't even in my own room last night, I stayed with Emma!"

The hopeful part grew. Red looked at Emma. "Is this true?"

Emma bit her lip. "I—yes? Yes, she stayed in my room last night, but—I wasn't there the whole time. I don't know, okay? But it doesn't sound like something Belle would do. You don't honestly think—"

But whatever hope had been about win out had been dashed when Emma admitted she wasn't sure. "If you weren't with her, that doesn't help. She could have been doing anything when you were gone!"

"Red!" Charming said warningly.

Red spun around and glared at him. "I saw her!" she yelled, close to tears. She knew that she sounded like a complete brat, unable to let go of this even when no one believed her. _But I did see her,_ she told herself.

Snow came to her rescue. "I saw her too." Her voice was calm, but the tone contained something very cold. "Everything Red just said is true."

Belle looked dumbstruck. "I don't know what you saw, but that _wasn't_ me." For a moment, Red almost believed her. Then she looked at her and saw the dress, the _fucking_ dress that Belle was wearing as though it were nothing.

"How could you?" she asked. Her voice broke on the last word, and to her horror Red realized she was about to cry. Without another word, she ran down the stairs and into the crowd, away from Belle.

"Red, wait!" Belle said. Red could hear her feet pounding behind her. "Please, can we talk about this?"

"I have nothing to say to you!" The crowd was parting to let them through, or maybe just from the fear that bad relationships might be contagious. Red could have taken advantage of this, but instead she slowed to a walk and tried to slow her beating heart, tried not to think about what was happening.

Belle, on the other hand, seemed determined not to let her forget. "Don't be stupid, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you!"

"Don't _lie_ to me!" Red yelled, whirling around to face her. "I saw you! I saw him go into your room last night." A tear slipped out of her eye. She didn't try to hide it. Belle _should_ see this, should know what kind of harm she had caused.

" _Who_ went into my room? Red, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"

So this was it then. No explanation, no apology, just outright denial. "It's bad enough that you cheated on me, but now you're lying about it? Unbelievable." It was getting harder to breathe. "I have to go," she said, moving towards the exit as quickly as she could with outright running. Her dignity had already taken some major hits tonight.

Belle followed her. "Where are you going?" she demanded

"Away." When Belle didn't stop following her, Red broke into a run once more.

"Red, wait!" Belle said.

Red didn't answer, just kept running. She had longer legs, but Belle was determined. A hand reached out to grab ahold of her and she yanked away, momentum spinning her around just in time to see the cloak flying off her body and onto the floor. It seemed to fall in slow motion, flying up into the air before landing spread out on the ground. It looked like a pool of blood. Red could feel her eyes changing as they focused on the cloak.

Her bones tore from her body, and she turned back to the human who had broken her heart, a snarl on her lips as they extended into a snout. The human ( _Belle,_ part of her supplied) collapsed to the ground, and it would be so easy to hurt her, make her pay for what she'd done, but the wolf pulled a different direction, away from the crowd of people and towards the exit, running faster than she ever had before. The cold wind nipped her fur but if it hurt, it was nothing compared to tightness that wouldn't leave her chest even as she fully transformed into her other self.

* * *

When Belle came to, the first thing she saw was Snow, staring at her coldly.

"How could you?" she demanded. "I thought you cared about her. You don't do something like that to someone you love!"

"Mom!" Emma cried. "Belle didn't do anything. I don't know what's happening, but I know Belle didn't do it!"

Belle was too queasy to respond to either of them. Instead, she carefully pulled herself into a sitting position. From this vantage she could see the dwarves quietly directing people out of the Great Hall. People kept glancing up at the platform to see what was going on, although after a few well-placed glares from Grumpy there were considerably less stares.

Red was nowhere in sight.

"I swear I didn't do it," Belle said, too quietly for anyone to hear. Above her, the others were still arguing.

"Oh, I think she did exactly what Red's accusing her of," Snow said.

"Snow!" Charming objected. "You don't mean that."

"You think I'm lying? I was there, Charming! Everything Red saw, I saw too."

"What did you see?" Belle asked. "Maybe if I know what happened I can help you figure out what you really saw."

Snow turned towards Belle, and suddenly all of the cold anger was directed at her. "You heard Red. Last night, on your balcony. Ring any bells?"

 _You're supposed to be like a mother to me,_ Belle thought tiredly. Her ears were still ringing from having fainted. _You're supposed not supposed to doubt me like this._ She looked around for Emma to help, but she was nowhere in sight. "Please, think about this. Do you really believe I'd do that? To Red?"

"I don't," Charming said firmly. It should have been reassuring that someone was on her side, but Belle couldn't stop thinking about how easily Snow and Red had turned on her.

"That's because you weren't there! We saw her," Snow said. "Regina showed us everything."

"Regina showed—Snow, do you even know what you're saying? What gives you any reason to believe that Regina hasn't tricked you somehow? After everything she's don't to us!"

"How could she trick me? She doesn't have magic, Charming! She couldn't have made us see something that wasn't there."

Belle had to speak up. Raising her voice, she cried, "I didn't do it! I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't me!" The others ignored her just as easily as they had when she spoke quietly.

"I don't know how Regina did it, but she did," Charming said stubbornly. "Take a dose of Panacea, there's still some in the cellar. That'll fix whatever this is."

"I don't need a potion! There's nothing wrong with me, Charming!" Snow shouted.

Through her tears, Belle noticed Doc slipping out of the room, presumably to get the Panacea. She pulled herself to her feet, using the rails for support. Snow was the closest thing she'd had to a mother since arriving at the palace, and now she'd turned against her as if it was nothing. As if she, Belle, were nothing. And Red—how could she believe something like that? After everything they'd been through together, how could she be so untrusting as to think Belle would hurt her that way?

Charming was coming dangerously close to begging now. "If that's true, the potion won't do anything," he said. "Come on, Snow. For me. Please."

There was a prolonged paused. "Fine," Snow said. "But if I take it and nothing happens, will you believe me?"

"Yes," Charming said. "If the Panacea doesn't work I'll believe whatever you say."

 _Please, let it work,_ Belle thought to whoever might be listening. _Please, let everything to back to how it was an hour ago when I was happy._

Doc seemed to take forever coming back with the Panacea. _Just like in books,_ Belle thought vaguely. _Time always slows down when the characters are waiting for something._ The room felt far too large with only her, Snow, Charming, and the dwarves. Not even all of the dwarves, either; Dopey and Happy had been notable absent throughout.

Nobody said a word. When the door finally opened, they all kept their eyes trained on Doc, watching him make his way up to the platform. "Here you are, your majesty," he said, handing a small green bottle to Snow.

She looked hesitant for a fraction of a second, then uncorked the bottle and downed the potion in one long gulp. Belle tried to steady her breathing, but it still came out in uneven gasps. The bottle made a loud _thunk_ as Snow set it down. Belle flinched.

Snow's face went through confusion, disgust, and uncertainty before settling on anger. "What the hell did she do to me?" she demanded.

"So Regina did do something?" Charming asked.

"Of course she did something, I just don't know what. I- _trusted_ her! How could she? Is she really so miserable that she needs to destroy other people's happiness this way?"

"Well, haven't we always known that?" Grumpy asked.

"Yes, but I thought she was improving! When she didn't cast the Dark Curse, when she spent all that time in exile— I didn't really believe she'd try to do something like _this_ again! And after we welcomed her back with open arms!"

"But how is this possible?" Sleepy demanded. "The Blue Fairy took away her magic, we saw her do it!"

"What—" Belle began, too quietly. She took a deep breath and started again. "What exactly were the terms of the Blue Fairy's spell? People without access to magic can still make potions, for example."

Snow shook her head. "The terms were very specific. She can't even touch magical ingredients or they lose their power. There's no way she could have made a potion."

"But what if—" Belle paused, gathering her thoughts. This was all starting to make a terrible sort of sense. "What if she had help?"

Everybody just stared for a second. Snow made a small sound and buried her face in her hands. "We didn't even think of that," she admitted.

"We didn't think we had to," Charming said. He put an arm around Snow in a comforting gesture. "Who the hell would help the Evil Queen make a potion?"

"Does it matter?" Grumpy asked. "Now we know who did this. Let's make her pay!" The other dwarves murmured in agreement. Belle nodded, but all she could think about was the way Red had looked at her, the pain apparent in her eyes, and wondered if she was the real victim of Regina's actions. _We don't know where she is or what she's feeling,_ Belle thought. _We need to help her._

"At least we know what happened now," Charming said. "Now that we know why Red acted the way she did, we know we can cure her with the Panacea. It can't undo the damage, but if we get the word out whose fault this is I doubt there's a person in the kingdom who would lay the blame entirely on Red. When the sun rises we'll send out a search party to find her with the cure."

 _It won't work,_ Belle realized, thinking back to something she had read. But before she could speak, Doc beat her to the punch. He stepped forward, face lined with worry. "Not so fast, Your Majesty."

"What's the matter?"

"The Panacea works on Snow because she's fully human. Her body has no reason to cling to magic. But Red—well, a werewolf _is_ a magical being. She needs it to survive. Her body works hard to contain magical energy, but the drawback is that it doesn't like to let go of external magic, either."

"So it won't work at all?"

"Let me talk to her," Belle blurted out. Everyone turned to look at her. "I know I can get through to her if she'll just listen."

Grumpy looked skeptical. "Yeah, but how are you going to make her do that?"

"Grumpy's right," Charming said. "You saw how angry she was. She won't be in the same room as you long enough for you to say what needs saying."

Belle crossed her arms, suddenly furious. They hadn't listened when she pleaded her innocence, and now that she thought she might have a plan, they refused to listen to that either. Well, she'd make them listen. "Then we'll just have to give her something bigger to focus on than her anger, won't we!"

"Like what?" Snow asked. "What would make her listen to someone she thinks hurt her that badly?"

Belle opened her mouth, but realized she didn't have an answer. Fortunately, Doc did. "Grief," he said quietly. "If she's grieving her anger won't matter."

Grumpy slapped Doc on the back. "Hey, that's not a bad idea!" He turned back to Charming and said, "We'll have to tell her Belle's dead."

This was not what she had had in mind. _"What?"_ Belle demanded. "I am _not_ going to pretend to be dead."

"It'll work," Grumpy said. "She'll be heartbroken. All that stuff that Regina told her won't matter, even if she believes it. If Red really loves you, your death will be strong enough to make her forget her anger."

Belle considered this. She wanted to say no on principle, just because she was tired of other people always making decisions for her. _The only person who's never tried to make up my mind for me is Red,_ she realized. She had to do whatever it took to get Red back, no matter whose idea it had been. "If she thinks I'm dead, how can we convince her to talk to me?"

"The most fitting thing," Snow said, "Would be to redo the entire coronation. Tell her we've had to pick someone else, and that she can start to make it up to us by escorting this other person. That'll get her to the castle. But Belle, you'll have to do the rest."

"She won't believe you letting her back in that easily. Make her grovel a bit first," Grumpy suggested.

Snow smiled a little. "I think I've got an idea of how to do that."

Charming put a hand on Belle's shoulder. "Are you sure you'll be able to do this?" he asked. "It's hard to break through magic just through talking to someone."

"I have to try," Belle said, sounding much more determined than she felt.

"You do," Snow agreed. "If you love her, you have to find a way."

* * *

Almost immediately after Belle regained conscious, Emma had slipped out of the room. She'd never been much of a crier, but by the time she reached the courtyard she was heaving with sobs. Once through the door she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands, glad that at least there was no one here to see her fall apart like this. Two things seemed abundantly clear: that Belle was innocent, and that if this was what love meant, it really was as pointless as she had always feared it was.

 _What my parents have is real,_ she reminded herself. But then, of course Snow White and Prince Charming would be an exceptional case. Not everybody could be that lucky. Red and Belle had been her lifeline, proof that normal people could be so lucky. Instead, all they'd managed to prove was how much love gave people the power to hurt you. After Neal's betrayal, Emma has sworn she'd never give anyone that power again.

Not that that had gone according to plan either.

As though he could hear her thoughts, Killian appeared in the courtyard. Emma was no longer sobbing, but the tears still flowed freely down her face.

He approached her cautiously and sat down on the ground next to her. "Have you been crying this whole time?"

It didn't sound like an accusation, but Emma still snapped defensively. "Yes, and I'll cry as long as I damn well feel like it."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"Well, then how did you mean it?" She knew she wasn't being fair, but he was here, and far too close, and all she wanted was to vent some of the confusion and anger that had been growing since Red had started to accuse Belle.

"I just wanted—dammit Emma, why must you make this so difficult?"

"I'm not making anything difficult," Emma said. She cringed at her tone, which sounded entirely too much like pouting.

"I don't want you to be unhappy! There, is that what you wanted to hear?" Killian asked. It sounded like a confession.

"Maybe I don't care what you want," Emma said, turning her head away from him. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

"I know that Belle didn't do what they're accusing her of," Killian said quietly, putting his arm around her. "I don't know how Red could even suspect her of it."

In spite of herself, Emma found herself leaning into his embrace. "I think I'd fall halfway in love with anyone who could fix this whole thing," she said tiredly. Her crying jag had left her exhausted. "Or who could at least make things better for Belle."

Killian stroked her shoulder gently. "What do you need me to do?" he asked. A week ago, she would have teased him for wanting her to fall for him, but right now that was the furthest thing from her mind. Somehow, Killian and love fit together better than anything had a right to.

Emma closed her eyes. "You can't be the one to do it," she said. Internally, she was begging him not to push, not to make her reveal the thought that had been plaguing her since she'd seen the look on Belle's face when Red transformed. She pulled away from his arm. _Love doesn't do anything except hurt,_ she thought. It was getting increasingly hard to remember.

Instead of asking what she meant, Killian reached out and cupped her face in his good hand, stroking her cheeks with his thumb. Emma's eyes fluttered open in shock as he pressed his forehead to hers. They stayed that way for what felt like eternity before Killian spoke, and when he did, his words made her gasp. "I love you," he said. His lips were on hers for a fraction of a second, and then he'd pulled away again. "Isn't that strange?"

Emma reached out and gripped his wrist so his hand couldn't leave her face. "Almost as strange as me falling in love with a pirate. That is— I'm not saying— don't listen to a word I say right now, okay? I'm just—I'm worried about Belle."

Killian laughed softly and kissed her again, lingering longer this time. Tiny jolts of electricity danced on her lips. "You don't have to say it. It's all over your face. You love me, Emma Swan."

"You sure about that?" Emma asked weakly, but she knew the charade was over.

"I'd swear on the Jolly Roger if I had to."

"Fine," Emma said. She closed her eyes as if that would make the admission easier. "I love you." The words came out harsh and pointed, and suddenly Killian's lips were on hers a third time. Her hand slid from his wrist and joined the other one around his neck as she tried to pull him closer. The flat side of his hook pressed against her back, and the other seemed to be everywhere at once: stroking her cheek, tangled in her hair, running down her side. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily, and they made no move to separate.

Killian looked at her and repeated his previous sentiment. "Tell me how I can help."

Before she had time to think, Emma spoke, and the terrible thing was out out in the world and could never be returned to the safe confines of her mind. "Kill Red."

Killian gave her a searching look, then gently pulled out of her embrace. "You don't mean that."

Part of Emma knew that he was right, but the other part was in too much pain to care. "Fine. I should go anyway." She got to her feet, but Killian put a hand on her arm.

"Please stay."

It was almost too easy to pull away. "Why won't do this for me? What the hell happened to you? You're supposed to be a freaking pirate! Isn't killing people what you do?"

Killian slid his fingers into hers. "I'd do it for you in a heartbeat if I thought you wouldn't hate yourself the next day."

"If you loved me, you'd do this for me." Emma turned her head away.

"Do you really believe Red intended to hurt Belle?"

"Yes." _No._ She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to do something, had to punish Red for having everything she could possibly want and throwing it away as though it meant nothing.

"Please, take some time to think this over." Killian's voice was pleading. "This isn't something you can take back if you regret it the next day. This is forever, love."

Emma stared across the courtyard, seeing nothing. At last her eyes fell on a small alcove where she and Red had played together as kids. Red was almost four years older, but she'd always let Emma play with her. That summer when Emma was seven, all either of them had wanted to play was True Love.

* * *

"Come on, Emma!" Red said, tugging her to her feet. "It's my turn to be Snow White."

Emma giggled. "Good. I like being the prince anyway."

Her parents' story had been ingrained in Emma at such a young age that by this point, she knew it by heart. They went through every detail, from the rescue at the Troll Bridge to the forgetting potion and at last the sleeping curse. At the end, Emma kissed Red on the cheek. She rose dramatically.

"You found me!" she cried, throwing her arms around Emma's neck.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" Emma replied. They released each other and fell into fits of giggles. "I can't wait to get older so that I can have a true love," Emma said. "It's so romantic, don't you think?

"It's a good story." Red plopped down on the ground and sat crossed legged. "My favorite part is when she hits him with the rock," she said. "But I wonder how he could have fallen in love with her after she'd hurt him so much."

Emma joined her on the ground. "It wasn't on purpose! She was scared he'd take her to the Evil Queen."

"I know," Red said. "But it's still surprising, isn't it?"

"I guess so." Emma was so used to the idea that her parents were supposed to be together that the idea that they could not have been made her stomach feel funny. To distract herself, she said, "If that's your favorite part, what's your least favorite?

Red looked down. "I don't like the sleeping curse. What if it had never gotten broken? She'd still be asleep now and she wouldn't even know it."

"But it's okay, my dad did break it! True Love's Kiss can break any spell."

"What if you don't have a true love?" Red said, scrunching up her eyebrows. "What if Granny fell under a sleeping curse and there was no one to save her?" She looked worried.

"It would be fine!" Emma said quickly. "If your Granny gets hit by a sleeping curse, we'll go on an adventure and find a way to save her! Good always wins, that's what my mom says."

Red smiled. "An adventure would be a lot of fun. Do you think your dad would let us borrow his sword?"

"He'd better. I'm not letting anything happen to someone you love," Emma promised.

"What do you think it'll be like?" Red asked. She picked a blade of grass, then shredded it to bits. "Falling in love, I mean."

Emma thought about this. "My mom says it's magic, only you don't have to be a fairy or a witch to do it. It sounds amazing."

"I hope it is," Red said.

"I know it is," Emma replied. "Love is the most important thing there is."

* * *

It had been so easy then, to believe in love. They'd both been so sure about their happy endings that it hadn't been a matter of if, but when. Things had changed when they got older. For Emma it had been Neal's betrayal. But Red—Red had caused the death of someone she loved. Emma had never talked to her about Peter, had never known what to say, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. Emma may have been betrayed by Neal, but Red had been betrayed by her own body. If there was anyone who knew what it meant to be destroyed by love, it was Red. Emma may not understand why she'd done what she had tonight, but whatever the reason, she didn't deserve to die.

She turned back to Killian. "You're right," she said, embarrassed to feel the tears returning to her eyes. "I don't want you to kill her. I just—I can't just sit here and not do anything while Belle suffers."

"Is there anything else that would satisfy your need for revenge?"

Emma thought about this. "Her cloak!" she said. "It's still on the floor of the Great Hall—or it was, when I left. We could take it."

"You wish that she be forced to endure her transformation for the duration of Wolfstime?"  
"Yes. Why, do you have a problem with that idea?"

"It's just that in our time together in the Ogre War it didn't seem as though she minded the transformation particularly. Or am I wrong?" Killian asked.

"She doesn't mind if it's for a reason. Then she feels like she's doing some good," Emma said. Killian's fingers were combing through her hair in a very distracting way. "But when she's feeling emotional and out of control, it freaks her out. And judging from her behavior tonight, I'd guess we can check both of those boxes."

"I'll admit, I'm relieved that you're suggesting thievery rather than cold-blooded murder," Killian said. When Emma looked surprised, he said, "What? I'm a pirate, not a mercenary."

"I always thought the two went hand in hand," she admitted.

"So I take the cloak," he said. "Then what?"

"She'll come looking for it," Emma said. "But you have to keep it from her. No matter what happens."

"I hate to bring it up, but suppose something goes wrong and she does lose control. Are you prepared to be responsible for any deaths that might result from our actions?"

Emma looked Killian in the eye and shook her head. "She has too much self-control for that. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was safe."

Killian took her hand, and Emma realized how close they were. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, but before she could move to do so a loud clap of thunder made both of them jump. A few seconds later it started to rain, the sort of heavy rain that soaks through clothing within seconds.

"Perhaps we should get inside," Killian said, standing and using his good hand to pull Emma to her feet. "A few more minutes out her and that gown of yours will be ruined for good."

Emma began to laugh. A part of her that she wasn't even aware was tense loosened, and she felt freer than she had in years. "Fuck the gown," she said, turning her face to the sky to let the water run over her face. "I never liked it anyway."

* * *

Widow Lucas was old, but not so old that she couldn't still oversee trials on the nights that Snow and Charming had other obligations. On the night of Belle's coronation she was seated in the courtroom while Happy and Dopey presented their case.

"Which are the men you want me to examine?" Widow Lucas asked them.

"We sure are!" Dopey replied.

Widow Lucas pinched the bridge of her nose. "I mean, who are the criminals whom the guards brought in? I'm assuming it wasn't you two, daft as you both might be."

"What a wonderful assumption!" Happy said. "It's always such a relief to hear that another person has a kind opinion of you. As a matter of fact, these are the ruffians we'd like you to examine." He indicated at two men who were handcuffed to a table. "What is your name, friend?" he asked the first.

"Will Scarlet," the man replied with a wicked grin. "I assume my reputation precedes me."

Dopey stood on his tiptoes to peer over Widow Lucas's notes. "Did you write down the name Will Scarlet?"

" _Yes,_ " she said, in a tone of exasperation. "Can we please continue with the examination?"

"Of course we can! And what's your name, sir?" Happy asked the other man.

"Sidney," he said in a lofty tone. "And I'll have you know I'm a gentleman," he said, casting a disparaging glance and Will Scarlet.

"Oh, how lovely! I always enjoy a good conversation with a gentleman. Widow Lucas, please write down Sidney's name, and make a note that he is a gentleman."

Dopey stepped forward and paced in front of the table. "Are you loyal to Queen Snow?" he demanded.

Both men nodded.

Dope turned back to Widow Lucas. "Write that down, and make sure that the Queen's name goes before either of theirs. Alphabetically, Sidney would go first of course, but I think the Queen should always appear in the place of highest honor," he said.

Happy puffed up his chest. "Well, men, you have been charged as not only villains, but also as liars. How do you plead? Remember, you can say whatever you like, there is no right answer to this."

"I can't speak for my partner, but I can assure you that I am completely innocent," Sidney said smoothly.

"Oi!" Will said. "I'll have you know that I'm as innocent as the day is young."

Dopey approached Will and whispered loudly in his ear, "It's hard to believe anything you say when you're a well-known liar."

"I said I didn't do nothing!"

Happy looked at Widow Lucas with a worried look. "Did you write down that neither of these men did anything? I hate to put people on trial who seem so convinced of their own innocence."

"Happy!" she scolded. "This is _not_ the way to go about examining someone. Why don't you make yourself useful and bring forward last night's watch so they can tell us what happened."

"Yes, ma'am!" Dopey said. "May I assent last night's watch?" He gestured elaborately to the two women standing in the back of the room.

Widow Lucas looked at them over the top of her glasses. "Can either of _you_ tell me what you saw last night?" she asked, in a tone that suggested she was not optimistic about their ability to do so.

The first guard nodded. "Mr. Scarlet said that Regina had hired him for nefarious purposes."

"That's terrible!" Happy said, shaking a finger at Will. "How could you speak about the Queen's stepmother that way? Although nefarious is quite a good word, I'll be sure to use that one more often."

Widow Lucas ignored this. "What else did you hear?"

The second guard spoke up. "He said that he was doing it in exchange for a magic bean."

Dopey gasped. "That's highway robbery! Magic beans are very hard to come by!"

"But what exactly did Regina hire him to do?" Widow Lucas asked. "Come on now, I haven't got all night."

"He said," the first guard began, looking nervously at her feet. "He said he met with a woman on Belle's balcony. Someone who looks like Belle. And—"

"Regina brought Red there under the influence of a trust potion," the other guard said very quickly. "Queen Snow, too. And she told them that it was Belle, and they believed her, and Red was planning on telling the whole kingdom at the coronation tonight."

"You mean the coronation that _just ended?_ " Widow Lucas demanded, looking at the dwarves with a glare.

"That's the one!" Happy said cheerfully.

"So you knew that the Evil Queen was orchestrating the humiliation of both my granddaughter and the woman she loves at a coronation that took place earlier tonight, and you didn't think it worthwhile to bring this to my attention sooner?"

Dopey gulped. "Well, when you put it that way, it does seem like it would have been more sensitive to have brought it up earlier. We were just so busy, what with helping to prepare for the coronation and every—"

Widow Lucas interrupted him. "Find Grumpy," she ordered. "Find out what happened tonight. If Red really did turn on Belle tonight, we'll have enough proof to put this scum behind bars."

"Of course!" Happy said, jumping to attention. "I'll go find him right away."

"What an ass," Will muttered as Happy left the room.

* * *

It had been years since Red learned to control the wolf, although 'control' may have been a loose term. It was more like teamwork, the human and the wolf working together but relying heavily on instinct. But when she was in wolf form she had to solve her problems like a wolf, which was how she found herself crouched on the bank of a river, howling at the moon.

A flash of lightning struck nearby. The wolf could smell the electricity in the air, and hear the thunder as it rumbled. The rain started almost immediately afterwards, sending her running back into the trees. The wolf didn't have the same sense of time as the human, so she didn't know how long she ran for, but eventually she ended up near a clearing that smelled familiar.

She howled again, an image of the human that had hurt her own human flashing in front of her eyes. This was how the wolf thought, images flashing to the forefront of her mind. A dress. A knife in her heart. How the people we love have the power to hurt us the most. A picnic in the woods, a picnic in this exact spot in the words, a kiss, a dress, pain.

The wolf howled at the moon a final time, then turned her tail and ran away from the clearing, away from the memories and the feeling of being unloved. Her feet pounded against the wet earth like a drum, like fingers tapping on skin.

Like a heartbeat.


	5. Act V

"So you have no idea what happened after that?" Red asked Mulan. It was cold in the courtyard, last night's storm having marked the abrupt entrance of fall. Red shivered on the cold stone bench. She'd gone looking for her cloak earlier this morning, but it was nowhere to be found.

Mulan shook her head. "I helped escort people out, but it seemed like the royal family needed some time to themselves. My presence would have been an intrusion."

Red nodded, wishing it was easier to pretend she didn't care. All she really wanted was to know what Belle had done after she'd left. Whether she'd shown remorse. If she'd cried. If this was tearing her up inside was much as it was tearing Red up.

"It's cold," Red said, wrapping her arms around herself. Across the courtyard, she could see Snow entering through a door, with her husband in pursuit. _Wonder what's going on there,_ she thought, with little actual interest. She wouldn't have even bothered to eavesdrop if it weren't for how loud they were talking.

"Snow, you have to calm down!" Charming was saying. He followed Snow as she stormed through the courtyard "It's not your fault, Regina tricked you! Take it out on her, not yourself!"

 _He seems awfully angry at Regina,_ Red thought, stiffening. Everyone knew Regina had turned over a new leaf. It wasn't fair of him to get so angry at her.

"Stop it, Charming!" Snow snapped. "I don't need your advice. It's _not_ going to bring her back!"

"No, but you have to stop blaming yourself!"

"Any clue what's going on?" Red asked Mulan.

"No, but I think if we stay here long enough we'll find out pretty quick," Mulan replied.

Snow whirled on Charming. "I let it happen, didn't I? I'm the one who let Red up to talk. I'm the one who agreed we should listen to Regina. I'm the one who planned an entire ceremony without even _thinking_ to take the moon cycle into account!"

 _They're talking about last night,_ Red realized. She started to stand, hoping she could leave before she was noticed. The last thing she wanted was to have another fight about what Belle had done. Even thinking about it made her heart twist unpleasantly in her chest. But before she could get all the way to her feet, Mulan put a hand on her shoulder.

"Something's not right here," she whispered. "Don't you want to find out what?"

Red felt that she didn't particularly care what was going on, but the pressure on her shoulder convinced her that Mulan wouldn't give up without a fight. Red was too tired to even think about fighting, so she sat down and kept her eyes carefully trained downward. Last night's storm had done a lot of damage, she noticed. The ground was littered with branches and roof tiles.

Charming's voice sounded entirely too close. "I know, but you didn't plan for this to happen. Regina did. She's the one who should be punished."

"Oh look," Snow said. Red flinched at how close she sounded, and the apparent anger in her voice. "It's Red and Mulan."

 _She was on my side last night,_ Red thought desperately. She looked up to the sight of Charming and Snow, standing only a few feet away from her and staring with a strange sort of intensity. Red hesitated, unsure of what she was supposed say. But before she had to, Mulan spoke up instead.

"Good day, Your Majesty," she said. Red relaxed a bit at her tone, which was one of cool disinterest.

All of the emotion that Snow had been directing at her husband was now aimed towards Red. "You don't even know what's happened, do you?" Snow asked. Her voice was almost mournful "You have no idea what you did."

Mulan put a protective arm around Red, who felt as though she couldn't breathe. "Your Majesty, I seem to recall you being on Red's side of things last night. You have no right to go after her now."

"If yelling at Red could make things right again, I'd be doing it too," Charming said quietly. "As it is, I'd say Snow has every right to express her grief this way."

"'Make things right?' What the hell do you think I made wrong, Belle's reputation?" Red asked scathingly. "She's ruined that on her own."

Snow's look was almost pitying. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" For some reason, Red felt like laughing. The whole situation seemed ridiculous, the intensity of Snow's moods like something out of a novel.

"Oh, Red," Snow said softly. "Belle's dead."

"She's… what?" Red asked. This time, she actually did laugh, so harshly that it hurt her throat. "No, she's not."

"She is," Charming said. His voice was far too calm, incongruous with what he was saying. "When you… turned, last night. It was too much for her. She collapsed, and never got back up."

Red felt as though she were listening to the words underwater. She could hear, but nothing made sense. "You're wrong. Belle's stronger than that, she wouldn't just— _die,_ from something like that."

Charming just looked at her. "I can't make you believe anything you don't want to. But before you feel too sure you're right, I'd check the cemetery." He put an arm around Snow and led her out of the courtyard,

 _I'm cold,_ Red realized. She turned to Mulan. "She can't be dead, right? This doesn't make sense." _Please, tell me I'm right._ She found that she couldn't even feel upset; the idea that Belle was dead was far too alien to make sense. Belle had always seemed more alive than anyone she knew.

Mulan looked worried. "I'm not sure. I don't know why the king and queen would lie about something like that."

"Something's going on with them," Red said firmly. Then, in a quieter voice. "I didn't kill her."

Mulan's arm went back around her, in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring gesture. She didn't quite manage to pull it off, but then, she'd always been better at fighting than comforting. "I can go to the cemetery with you later, if you'd like to be sure."

"Later," Red agreed. Her hands had gone numb. She rubbed them against each other. _Get it together,_ she told herself. _She's not dead._ Because wouldn't she know, somehow? Wouldn't she feel it, if Belle was dead in the ground and not somewhere out there in the world?

"What you need is a distraction," Mulan said. "We should go meet Killian. He's probably in the kitchen by now. Let's find out how well our plan worked, shall we?"

Red laughed, feeling her shoulders relax a little bit. She'd forgotten all about the plan, with everything that was happening. "That sounds like a great distraction." _Although in the chaos last night, maybe Emma and Killian didn't get a chance to— maybe I wrecked—_

She pushed the thought aside.

Red and Mulan entered the palace through a side door and made their way toward the kitchen. By unspoken agreement, they avoided any hallways where they might run into someone. Red was still sure she'd done the right thing the night before, but there was a little nagging piece of doubt that told her if she ran into someone, they might confirm what Snow and Charming had told her. As long as she didn't know for sure, Belle was still alive.

She still couldn't feel her hands.

When they entered the kitchen, Killian was already there. He'd been seated almost casually on a stool, but when he saw them enter, he stood and began to pace back and forth. "Ah. I was waiting for you to arrive," he said. "For we have much to discuss."

"About to tell us you broke your vow never to fall in love?" Red asked, a bit bitingly. If she herself had managed to stick to that vow, she wouldn't be in this kind of pain. If she had managed to stick to it, Belle would be alive.

 _Shut up, she's not dead,_ Red told herself, pushing down the panic that kept clawing at her throat, threatening her. She dropped down onto a stool.

"Should we tell him what Emma said?" Mulan asked.

Red forced a laugh. "The part where she spent hours talking about how much she hated him, only to admit at the very end that he was the handsomest man she'd ever seen?" She could feel something bitter coming out in her tone, but she couldn't understand where it had come from.

"Of course, after that she pretended not to care about any of that."

"And then said if she didn't hate him so much she might rather like him."

She expected Killian to take the bait, the way he had a few nights ago, but his expression didn't change. Instead, he looked her in the eye and said, "You don't happen to be missing anything, do you? A cloak, perhaps?"

"How did you—"

"You won't be finding it any time soon," he interrupted. "Certainly not before the end of Wolfstime." His face was stiff and he spoke too fast, as though this were difficult for him.

"And why's that, exactly?" Red asked, trying to put a hint of danger in her voice. "Because if you've taken it, Killian, I swear to God I'll—"

He held up his hands. "It was the Lady Swan's doing, although I'll admit I served accomplice. And you should be glad it's not worse, she's quite angry at your actions, as well as their consequences."

Red couldn't think of anything to say, so she looked at Mulan, who's expression was one of someone on the verge of solving a puzzle. After a moment, she spoke. "Something's going on with Snow and Charming," she said. "They're acting as though Belle is dead."

Killian looked at Red. "She is."

"That's impossible," Red said firmly. She wrapped her arms around herself as though trying to protect her insides. _Please, don't let it be true. I'll do anything, just don't let it be true._

"Is it?" Killian asked knowingly. "Wouldn't be the first time the wolf killed somebody, would it?"

"You know I didn't touch her," Red snarled at him. She clenched her fists in an attempt to regain control of her emotions. "No matter what she did, I would _never_ have hurt her."

"Red," Killian said gently, and somehow, this was worse than when he'd been accusing her. "I saw the body."

Red's heart was pounding. "I don't believe you," she said, but the dread that had been threatening to engulf her finally did. "She can't be dead." She hadn't even finished the sentence before she felt the tears finally fall from her eyes.

"So it is true?" Mulan asked.

"Aye."

Red couldn't take it any longer. She got to her feet, almost tripping over her skirts, and ran out of the kitchen. The only thought in her mind was that she needed to escape the palace, needed to get out of here while she still could. Mulan's footsteps echoed behind her so she sped up, almost running headlong into Happy and Dopey. The dwarves were standing in the middle of the hallway with two men in cuffs, speaking earnestly with Snow and Charming. Red managed to stop half a second before she would have caused a full-on collision.

* * *

Mulan caught up with Red just in time to hear Dopey say to Charming, "So you see, these men are surely guilty of most unpickable things, as is her ladyship the Evil Queen."

Red's breathing was loud and ragged, and Mulan felt a pang of remorse. When Snow and Charming had approached her for help convincing Red that Belle was dead, she'd agreed. The plan made a certain amount of sense, and she'd wanted to help. But as things went on, she realized that she'd been so focused on the end goal that she'd forgotten about the emotional consequences it would carry for Red.

"I _knew_ she was involved somehow," Charming replied. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Dopey."

"What's going on?" Red asked. "What did they do?"

Happy beamed at her. "I'm glad you asked! First on the docket is lying—although I was most impressed, this young gentleman has almost turned lying into an art! Nobody appreciates good craftsmanship these days, it's a crying shame. Where was I?"

Red spoke up again, sounding annoyed. "You said Will's a liar. Which, no offense, isn't particularly new information."

"Right you are! And thank you, Red, I've always loved your willingness to give constructive criticism. As I was saying, these gentlemen have found guilty of conspiring with the Evil Queen to spread lies, as well as lying about it. Well, points for consistency, right?" He chuckled.

"You aren't making any sense," Mulan said impatiently. "Scarlet, what did you do?"

Will tried to shrug, but with his hands cuffed it didn't come off looking nearly as nonchalant as it would have otherwise. "Nothing big. And in my defense, it was all Regina's doing. All _I_ was after was a magic bean."

"Regina wanted to destroy Red and Belle's happiness," Sidney said, seeming to decide he'd had enough of this. "So she set up a ruse so that it would seem that Belle had met with Will at her window."

"But I _did_ see Belle there!" Red cried.

 _She's still under the Evil Queen's spell,_ Mulan had to remind herself. _It's not her fault she doesn't understand._ This reminder made it easier to go through with things. This morning, Red had sounded certain she'd never speak to Belle again. If faking Belle's death really did get Red to see sense, that was all the mattered.

"That was Lily, in one of Belle's dresses," Will said. He had the good grace to look ashamed. "She didn't know, mind you. She had no part in this whatsoever."

Sidney directed his next words at Red. "Regina made sure she would be believed by dosing you and the queen with a potion so that you would believe her."

Red frowned. "Regina wouldn't do that."

"Like hell she wouldn't," Mulan couldn't stop herself from saying. "Where is she?"

"Gone," Snow said. "We've sent soldiers after her, of course, but Regina's always been an expert at disappearing when she wants to."

"It wasn't Regina!" Red shouted. Then, in a quieter voice, she said. "This is my fault, isn't it? I shouldn't have handled things that way. If I'd just talked to her, instead of yelling in front of everyone—I shouldn't have let myself get that worked up. Not during Wolfstime."

Mulan put a hand on Red's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but Red pulled away. "It does make sense," Mulan said softly. "You know Regina's entirely capable of something like this." She desperately wished she could say something else, something like, _I know you can't understand this right now but you have to stop blaming yourself,_ but it wouldn't do any good. Not yet.

Red shook her head. "Stop trying to make me feel better. I know what I did." The tears started flowing all at once, and within a few seconds Red's body was wracked with sobs. "What can I do?" she asked, falling to her knees at Snow's feet. "Please, tell me what I can do. I know I can't fix it but you have to let me do something."

 _What have we done?_ Mulan thought wearily. _What were we thinking?_

"You're right," Snow said, with an unreadable expression on her face. "You can't fix it. But you can tell the kingdom why it happened."

"Of course."

"We'll wait until Wolfstime is over, of course," Charming said. "But after that we'd like you to apologize for what happened and take full responsibility."

"That's all you want me to do?" Red demanded, tears still flowing freely. Her shoulders shook. "That's all Belle's life is worth to you?"

"Of course not!" Snow said fiercely. "But there's nothing else you can do, you can't bring her back. And to make you suffer more would only increase our own suffering."

"I'll do it," Red sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I know that's not enough, but I'm sorry."

"Good," Charming said. "Happy, thank you for the pains you took in examining these men. Take them to the dungeon for now and we can decide what to do with them later. With any luck, they can help us track down Regina."

Mulan took Red by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "Come on," she said firmly, leading her away. "You need to sit down for a while, you've had a shock."

She might not be able to fix things, but at least she could provide some comfort until this all got sorted out.

 _Belle had better know what she's doing._

* * *

Killian tapped his foot against the ground as he waited for Emma to arrive. The parlor was stuffy, but it seemed like the proper place to sit when courting a princess. Besides, the courtyard had been a mess of activity today, what with the attempts to convince Red of Belle's death. As the opportunities to speak to Emma in private were dwindling, he wanted to make sure they weren't overheard today.

He looked down at the paper in his hand, which was barely legible from all of the places he'd scratched things out. He'd been attempting to write a poem of some sort for Emma, perhaps a sea shanty, but so far he'd written nothing that could ever see the light of day. In the beginning Killian had tried reference well-known pirate couples, but the trouble was that there really weren't any, or at least, not any famous ones. To make things worse, it turned out that while Killian Jones had skills in a great many arenas, rhyme was not one of them.

The sound of the doorknob made Killian jump. Barely taking the time to think it over, he dropped the paper and worked to shove it under the couch with his foot. "Emma," he said as she entered. "At last."

Emma's face looked drawn. "I can't leave Belle for very long," she said.

"Then let's make good use of the time you have." God, he could look at her forever, Killian realized as he drank in her appearance. Even tired and upset, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. More importantly, she was _Emma_.

"All right," Emma said. She sat down next to him on the couch. "Did you say anything to Red today?"

"A few foul words passed between us," Killian admitted.

Emma looked tense. "I guess it would destroy your whole air of mystery to be specific for once in your life."

"I made some veiled comments regarding her cloak." He took Emma's hand and squeezed it, but he knew what she really needed was a distraction. "Let us move on to more pleasant subjects. I've been wondering, which of my _charming_ qualities did you first fall in love with?"

Emma laughed, seeming to relax a bit. "Oh, you know. Rudeness, facial hair, over-exaggerated stories of your life. All things that would be entire insufferable if they didn't go hand in hand with being an infamous pirate."

Killian quirked his eyebrow, impressed that he'd gotten so much out of her.

Emma's face flushed as she seemed to realize this. "Your turn. Which of my qualities was it that convinced you to deal with all of my emotional baggage?"

"I'll have you know I'm a fan of every part of you, including the baggage. Although, that does remind me of something I overheard your mother mention." He watched Emma's face, trying to gauge her reaction. "Who is Neal?"

She looked down. "I guess you have to find out about that eventually, huh?" When Killian continued to look at her, she said, "He wasn't really anyone. A farmhand nearby. He used to sneak into the palace and we'd explore all of the secret places, the parts where nobody goes anymore. I don't know. He made me forget that I was a princess, and that I had all these responsibilities."

"So you've always considered your royal status to be a burden." Killian filed this away, another piece of the puzzle that made up Emma Swan.

"I guess." She was silent for a little while. "We were going to run away together," she finally added. "After my eighteenth birthday."

"I'm assuming the lad didn't follow through on his plans? Seeing as I cannot imagine that _you_ would be the one to back out."

"He left without me. Stole everything he could get his hands on, too. After that… I didn't want to be with anyone for a while. I thought it was safer."

"And then a dashing pirate swept in and stole your heart."

It wasn't meant to come out sounding like a question, but the uncertainty in his voice came out so strongly that Emma must have heard it. "Yes," she replied. "That's what happened. Against my will, I might add," she said, half teasing.

Killian put his hand to his heart. "How noble of you, to spite your heart for my sake!" During the days in which they'd danced around each other, he'd missed the ability to argue with her this way. Now, he found that it was even better than before.

Emma laughed. "Oh, shut up." She slapped his shoulder gently.

Killian removed his hand from his heart and placed it back in hers, where it belonged. "I suppose too such fiery personalities as you and I never could have expected to have a peaceful love story."

"That's all right," Emma said. "My parents didn't, either."

He laughed with surprise. Whatever he had been expecting to hear about Snow White and Prince Charming, that wasn't it. "I imagine that's a story I ought to hear sometime. But first, I must ask. How is Belle?" The mood shifted at once.

"She's not doing so hot," Emma said. "She's scared she won't be able to get through to Red. I can't blame her, really. Magic is a pretty serious thing to mess around with."

Killian released her hand and lifted his own to her face. "And how are you?" he asked, gently stroking her cheek.

"I'm not doing so hot either," Emma admitted. She leaned into his touch.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you mend. Starting with ensuring Red doesn't slip away before her public apology."

Emma closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. "I'm sure they'll manage to work things out. Much more sure than I was yesterday, at any rate. Honestly, I'm more worried about what _we'll_ do once all this is over."

Killian inhaled sharply, letting his hand drop back to his side. "I'm not sure I catch your meaning."

"Well, Red's only acting this way because of Regina's curse, right? So once they figure out a way to break it, she and Belle will be all right again. But us—what'll we do when the focus is back off them, and everyone expects me to be a princess? Do you really think they'll just accept that I've fallen in love with a pirate? Besides which, you'll be leaving in a week to go out on the Jolly Roger again, and I'll be left behind."

"I've been having the same quandary myself," Killian admitted. "I've given it a great deal of thought."

"Any conclusions?" Emma asked.

Killian put his arm around her shoulders and ran his fingers through her hair. "I've written a letter to Smee. I plan to send it this evening so that he'll get it when he comes into port looking for me." He paused, scanning Emma's face for a reaction. "I've offered him a reasonable price for the Jolly, he'd be a fool not to accept."

Emma looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. "You'd—sell your ship for me?"

"Aye."

"No," she said, shaking her head determinedly. "I'm not letting you do that."

Killian's stomach sunk. Perhaps he'd mistaken her intentions, and this was all a passing fling. "I'm perfectly willing to."

"I don't care! You'd be miserable here, Killian! You think you know what's it's like, being at court, being expected to _rule_ someday when you can barely remember which fork to use for salad and which for fish? This is no life for a pirate. You'll get tired of being here having to stand on ceremony, and you'll leave."

 _Just like the man who left before,_ Killian realized, in a flash of insight. "I swear to you, I won't."

Emma's reply was the last thing he expected to hear. "Take me with you," she said, turning her body so as to slide her arms around his neck. "Please, take me on your ship, let's go, let's get out of here."

Killian's good hand went around her waist. "What of your royal responsibilities?" he murmured in her ear. He slid his other arm around her, careful not to hurt her with his hook.

"Belle can have them. She'll be a much better queen than I would." Emma spoke as though it was already decided. And perhaps, in a way, it was.

"What will you tell your parents?" Killian asked, dropping a careful kiss on the side of her neck. He felt her shiver.

"I'll think of something. Just—take me away from here. Please."

"You do realize we'll have to leave within a few days?" Killian was forcing himself to be rational, think this through one step at a time when all he could think about was the fact that maybe he'd be able to have everything he wanted after all.

Emma nodded against his chest. "As long as we're here for Red's apology. I need to make sure everything turns out okay for her and Belle."

"Agreed."

Killian usually shook hands when he made deals, but when Emma's lips landed firmly on his he was forced to admit that this way was much, much, better.

* * *

The wolf ran through the woods. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Her feet pounded against the forest floor, but it was taking so much energy to keep moving, so she slowed to a walk, and then a limp as she entered the cemetery. Her body was heavy with a sadness that both was and wasn't her own.

The full moon illuminated the rows of graves. Her instinct was to use her nose to guide her, but something protested, so instead she wound her way around the tombstones, moving slowly and looking at each of them. The wolf couldn't read what they said, but she'd know when she found what she was looking for. When she was a flash of red towards the back of the cemetery, she made her way towards it.

The wolf couldn't read the stone, but she knew this was what she had been looking for. She dropped to the ground in front of it, barely bothering to growl at the cloak that lay on top of it, waiting for her. She knew this cloak, the one that was used to contain her when she wasn't wanted. As though a creature like herself could ever truly be contained.

Red woke up the next morning in front of Belle's grave, and wept again. When she left the graveyard, she left the cloak behind. There was only one more night of Wolfstime, and one night was nothing, not now.

Not when she'd already destroyed the person she cared about most.

* * *

Two nights later, Belle was standing in a hallway in her nicest gown, going through what she would say to Red just in case she'd managed to forget. _It has to be perfect,_ she reminded herself, but the thought only made her more anxious.

"You ready?" Grumpy asked. "You've only got one shot."

"I'm ready," Belle said, letting Grumpy lead her to the door adjoining the balcony. She could hear the ceremony as it started. Snow explained to her subjects what had happened, informing them of Belle's "death." After that, Red was asked to speak.

Belle waited behind the closed door, taking steadying breaths. She could hear Red talking to the crowd, explaining her role in Belle's "death." There was no mention of the part Regina had played, but then, the Fidelity Potion would still be in effect.

When Red started crying, Belle had to tune it out. She could hear the words but refused to focus on their meaning.

 _This is all wrong,_ she thought. It wasn't fair, to hurt Red like this when her only crime was that she'd fallen prey to Regina's scheme. It could just as easily be her up there, having to apologize for a murder she hadn't committed.

None of this was fair.

"It was the only way," Grumpy said, seeming to have read her thoughts. Belle wondered whether he was right, but there was no easy answer. Either way, it was too late now. All she could do now was follow the plan.

Finally, the sound of Red's voice stopped, and Grumpy motioned for Belle to go through the door. She shook as she opened it, wishing she didn't have to do this in front of everyone. She appeared on the balcony, a little to the left of Red. The crowd gasped.

"Turn around," she said softly.

Red whirled towards the sound of her voice. Her face was streaked with tears. "Belle?" Her voice cracked. "But you're—"

"Dead?" If she'd felt bad about the deception before, it was nothing compared to how she felt at the look on Red's face. "Not quite. But I must speak with you."

"You—lied?" Red turned to Snow and Charming. "You told me she was _dead!_ You made me think—"

"I'm so sorry, but it was the only way to be sure you'd be here tonight," Belle said.

"And why should I be?"

There should have been more time, Belle thought sadly. She should have been able to explain everything, even if it wouldn't have done any good. At least she could have tried. But she could see in Red's expression that she was on the verge of running, which meant Belle only had seconds. She made her mind up quickly.

"Hold still," Belle said softly. She stepped closer and placed her hands gently on either side of Red's face. "It'll all make sense in a minute."

She could feel the magic as her lips touched Red's, could feel whatever curse it was coming undone. Belle had never felt anything so powerful. She opened her mouth for a second, realizing that if it weren't for the crowd, this kiss could go on for much longer. As it was, she pulled away after a few seconds, but refused to move her hands from Red's face.

When she opened her eyes, Red was staring at her with a look of wonder that belied the tear tracks still on her face.

"Belle, I'm so sorry! I never would have—"

"I know," Belle said. _It worked,_ she thought, with a sense of awe. _It actually worked._ She could feel her heartrate begin to speed up as the full meaning of this hit her.

Red still seemed to be in shock. "But Regina—and she—and I _believed_ her, and—what the hell did she do to me?"

"It was a Fidelity Potion," Snow said softly. "She got me with it too."

"I don't understand," Red said. "How did you—and Belle, you _swore_ she was dead—"

"True Love's Kiss," Belle said softly, stroking Red's cheeks. "I knew if I just asked you to come, you wouldn't do it. You were still under the potion. So we—came up with something."

Red laughed shakily. "You couldn't think of anything better than faking your own death?" Before Belle could answer, Red's arms were around her waist. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I was stupid enough to let the _Evil Queen_ trick me into thinking you didn't love me, so I guess that means you get to fake your own death if you want to."

Belle slipped her arms around Red's neck, and they held onto each other for a long time. After a moment, Red whispered in her ear, "True Love's Kiss, huh?"

"We can talk about it later," Belle promised.

"No need." Red pressed a kiss into her hair. "I always knew you were my true love."

"If I may," Charming said. From his tone of voice, it was clear that he knew he was interrupting a moment and had the good grace to feel at least a little bit awkward about it. "But there was another reason we wanted you both here tonight."

Belle reluctantly pulled away from Red. "And why is that?"

"Your coronation, of course!" Snow said. "I know it went badly last time, and I know I played my part in that, but we'd still really like to be your family if you'll let us."

"Of course!" Belle replied, touched that Snow felt she needed to ask.

"In that case, let's begin," Charming said.

As the ceremony started, Belle looked at Red out of the corner of her eye. She would have liked very much to leave with her right now, to forgo the pomp and circumstance in favor of spending time with the woman she loved. She looked forward to days spent together, talking about nothing and everything, getting to feel Red in her arms and know she was loved. But in the meantime, Belle got to stand here with Red's hand warm and firm in her own, about to be welcomed into a family she longed to be a part of.

This time, the coronation went off without a hitch.

* * *

After the ceremony there was, predictably, a ball. Emma put on a smile for Red and Belle's sake, but internally, she was counting down the minutes until she never had to attend one of these things again.

"Was this really necessary?" she asked her mom half an hour in.

Snow looked fondly at Emma, then indicated subtly across the room to where Red and Belle were dancing together, wrapped up in each other's arms. "Yes, I think it was. Besides, I thought you should get to attend one last ball."

"How did you—"

"It's all over your face. Come on, don't I get to do the whole mom thing where I know what's going on with you before you tell me?" She put her arm around Emma and squeezed, then let go.

"So you're not mad?"

Snow seemed to think about it. "You know, I'm really not. I think I always knew this wouldn't be the life you wanted. Even when you were little, you were much more interested in having adventures than in learning how to negotiate your way out of a war."

"You always managed to do both."

"That doesn't mean it has to be the right thing for you," Snow said gently. "And you're leaving us in good hands. Belle will be a wonderful queen when it's her time."

Emma felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted off her chest. She gave her mom a tight hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And Emma?"

"Yeah?" Emma said as she let go.

"I'm glad you found him."

Before she had time to parse out her mother's meaning, Snow had walked away to join her husband. Reeling from the exchange, Emma sat down on a bench at the side of the room, ready to resume the wallflower act she'd grown close to perfecting over the years.

It only took a few minutes for Killian to appear by her side. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, offering her his arm.

Emma shook her head. "If we're really taking off tomorrow, I'm going to spend this last party exactly how _I_ want to spend it."

"Which apparently does _not_ include dancing with me." His face was carefully trained not to show emotion, but Emma could tell he was hurt.

She put a hand on his arm. "It's just—I've spent every ball since I was sixteen being told I had to dance, and be polite, and a whole host of other things I'd rather not think about. Honestly, I'd rather just sit here and talk with you."

Killian's face cleared. "If the lady insists," he said, sitting down next to her.

"You were worried, weren't you?" Emma said, unable to help teasing him a bit. "When I said I wouldn't dance with you."

"Not a bit."

"Liar." Emma noticed all of a sudden how close her parents were standing, almost as though they were listening in on the conversation. A few feet away, Red and Belle had been talking to Mulan, but they seemed to have stopped as well.

"Why should I? It's perfectly clear that you fancy me," Killian said.

 _Shit._ Why did he have to do this here? Red and Belle were right there, and oh God, so were her parents, though judging from what her mother had said, she at least already had some idea, and this could get embarrassing fast.

At last, Emma found her voice. "Only when you're wearing that vest."

Killian looked amused. "That's funny, because I heard your mother, Red, _and_ Mulan swear you were in love with me. Surely they weren't _all_ mistaken?"

"Well, what about you?" Emma demanded, heart racing. "Are you in love with me? Because my father, Belle, and Marian claimed you were." She noticed that the others had given up all pretense that they weren't eavesdropping, and suddenly, she wasn't sure she cared. Things were starting to make sense, and she had a feeling that Red and Belle were in the thick of it.

"They said you thought you'd never love again until you met me."

"Well, Belle said you were suffering greatly after the way I danced with you at the ball."

"So?" Killian asked, and suddenly, this wasn't funny anymore. "Are you saying you don't love me? Were they wrong about all of it, then?"

Once again, the words caught in her throat. She could tell the truth, and risk losing everything, or she could lie, and lose everything too. No running away with Hook on his ship, no one to hold her at night, no love, but plenty of balls hosted by her parents in the hope of finding a suitor for her. The idea was insufferable.

But equally insufferable was the idea of putting herself out there only to be rejected. If the whole thing had been orchestrated—oh God, he had only said he loved her to be polite—she'd actually thought this meant something, but if the others had been lying about the whole thing—

"As a… _friend_ , of course," Emma flailed.

Snow rolled her eyes and took a few steps closer to them. "Must we do everything for you? Come on, Emma, you're not fooling anyone."

"And I've got proof he loves her back," Red said, pulling a slip of paper out of her bodice. "I found it in one of the parlors. It's his handwriting. I can't be sure, of course, but I _think_ he was trying to write her a love poem."

"Sea shanty," Killian said under his breath. Emma smirked at him.

"And I found this in Emma's journal," Belle said. Emma froze. "I think you'll find more than one mention of her love for Killian in it."

"Hey! That was my personal—" Emma snatched at it, but Killian got there first. For a guy with only one hand, he could grab things quickly. She settled for taking the sea shanty from Red's outstretched arm.

There was a tense silence while they both read. Finally, Emma broke it by laughing. "Did you really rhyme 'true' with 'blue?'" she asked. "That's weak, even for you."

"Are you sure you want to play that game, love?" Killian asked with a dangerous smile. He held up her journal page. "Because I've a few choice fragments I could—"

"All right, truce," Emma said quickly.

"Anyway, I guess that's us proven wrong," Killian said. "I suppose it was too much to expect we'd be able to outsmart people who seem to have spent weeks of their lives ensnaring us this in this way. I suppose I can be in love with you, but only out of pity. After all, it would be _most_ dishonorable to refuse love to a lady who speaks so highly of me in her journal."

"Well, I only love you out of pity for your terrible writing," Emma said.

"Oh, do shut up," Killian said, before leaning in for a kiss that made her do just that.

The next morning, Emma awoke at the crack of dawn and took her things to the carriage Killian had hired. There was nobody waiting to see her off, and she knew this was her mother's parting gift, letting her sneak out without drawing unnecessary attention. In the carriage, Killian took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Ready to go, love?"

Emma looked behind her at the palace for one last goodbye. "Yes," she said, turning back to Killian. "I really am."

 **Author Notes: Happy last day of Red Beauty Week! This marks the end of the fic. I'm considering doing other OUAT/Shakespeare AUs, so if there's a Shakespeare play you'd like to see me do, leave a comment and let me know! I hope you've enjoyed reading.**


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